Feedback Linearization Control of the Inertia Wheel Pendulum

In this paper, two feedback linearizing control laws for the Firmware stabilization of the Inertia Wheel Pendulum are derived: a full-state linearizing controller, generalizing the existing results in literature, with friction ignored in the description and an inputoutput linearizing control law, based on a physically motivated definition of the system output.Experiments are carried out on a laboratory test bed with significant friction in order to test and verify the suggested performance and the results are presented and discussed.The main point to be made as a consequence of the experimental evaluation is the fact that actually the asymptotic stabilization was not achieved, but rather a limit cycling behavior was observed for the full-state linearizing controller.The input-output linearizing controller was able to drive the pendulum to the origin, with the wheel speed settling at Fridge Compressor Module a finite value.