This Raspberry Pi Balance Bot Won't Fall Down

(Image credit: Harry, Raspibotics)

This Raspberry Pi project wobbles, but it definitely won't fall down. Created by Harry from Raspibotics, this balancing robot was inspired by the Handle robot from Boston Dynamics. It uses a Raspberry Pi as the main board to detect its current orientation and maintain balance.

Harry's balance bot stands out with the addition of two legs complete with custom wheels. This allows for height adjustment to help with stability when tipped towards a given side.

The wheels use two 38mm Nema 17 stepper motors, while each leg uses an MG996R Servo. These components allow for the control necessary to maintain balance.

An Arduino Uno handles all of the PID calculations in real-time. In addition to the Raspberry Pi, Harry used a Picon Zero HAT. This add-on PCB has the form factor of a Pi Zero, helping to keep the overall project build smaller.

If you want to recreate this project yourself, check out the project breakdown on the Raspibotics website. Harry shares everything you need to get started. Be sure to follow Raspibotics for future Pi projects.

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Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.