Engineers design self-stabilizing electric bicycle

From PhysOrg:

In the experimental set-up, the bicycle ran on rollers. The motor on the handlebars controlled steering, while the motor in the back drove the rear wheel. The gyro sensor, LED, and camera detected the bicycle's position, which gave feedback to a control system that adjusted the motors to maintain bicycle stabilization. Image credit: Yasuhito Tanaka and Toshiyuki Murakami. Despite the challenge, engineers from Keio University in Yokohama, Japan, are developing a self-stabilizing electric bicycle, one that can stay upright by itself while being propelled and steered by electric motors. Their ultimate goal is to create a sophisticated, high-performance bicycle that could serve as a convenient alternative to a small car. Yasuhito Tanaka and Toshiyuki Murakami, both with the Department of System Design Engineering at Keio University, will publish their study in an upcoming issue of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. "The bicycle is a comfortable vehicle that is safe and can offer more familiarity with nature compared with the car," Murakami told PhysOrg.com. "Especially, the bicycle is a convenient vehicle that can be useful as an activity for elderly people. However, it is thought that a lot of bicycle falling accidents occur with elderly people, and it is very useful to achieve a safer bicycle."

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