Home / Archives / July 2026 / Articles

DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY INTEGRATION OF A SELF-BALANCING HYBRID GYROSCOPIC TWO-WHEELED VEHICLE

Authors: Arunkumar.V, Ajay.M, Logesh.D, Samuelraj.D

Country: India

Abstract

Traditional two-wheeled vehicles are inherently unstable at zero or ultra-low velocities. This limitation restricts
their integration into autonomous delivery networks, assistive robotics, and narrow-profile agricultural systems
where low-speed or static stability is required. This paper details the design, fabrication, and control engineering
of a hybrid gyroscopic bike. The system employs an active Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) assembly
featuring a high-speed spinning flywheel inside a controlled motorized gimbal to command precise corrective
precession torques. Propulsion is driven by a 110cc four-stroke internal combustion engine, while the stabilization
stack operates on an independent electrical subsystem backed by a battery and a MEMS Inertial Measurement
Unit (IMU) processing closed-loop Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) routines. Engineering calculations
evaluate the moment of inertia, angular momentum, and stored kinetic energy configurations. Experimental testing
verifies that a dual-energy architecture utilizing liquid fuel for propulsion and chemical batteries for mechatronic
balance successfully mitigates low-speed roll failure, showing prominent commercial potential across logistics,
urban transit, and precision farming applications.

Keywords

Self-Balancing Vehicle, Gyroscopic Stabilization, Control Moment Gyroscope, Mechatronic Design, IMU Sensor Fusion, PID Control.

References

1) Y. Tanaka and T. Murakami, "Self-stabilizing bicycle by using a control moment gyro," IEEE
Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 60, no. 9, pp. 3899-3907, 2013.
2) J. H. Lee and S. Kim, "Control of a two-wheeled vehicle with a gyroscopic stabilizer," Mechatronics,
vol. 24, no. 7, pp. 748-758, 2014.
3) D. Karnopp, "Active stabilization of a single-track vehicle," Vehicle System Dynamics, vol. 41, no. 4,
pp. 253-265, 2004.
4) A. V. Beznos et al., "Control of autonomous motion of a two-wheel bicycle with gyroscopic
stabilisation," Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA),
pp. 2597-2602, 1998.
5) J. Huang and T. Chen, "Design and control of a gyroscopic self-balancing motorcycle," IEEE/ASME
Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 1213-1222, 2016.
6) J. Yi et al., "Modeling and control of a gyroscopically stabilized bicycle," Robotica, vol. 28, no. 2, pp.
235-247, 2010.
7) K. J. Åström and R. M. Murray, "Feedback systems for gyroscopic stabilization," IEEE Control Systems
Magazine, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 24-33, 2008.
8) A. L. Schwab and J. P. Meijaard, "A review on bicycle dynamics and rider control," Vehicle System
Dynamics, vol. 51, no. 7, pp. 1059-1078, 2013.
9) N. H. Getz and J. E. Marsden, "Control for an autonomous bicycle," Proceedings of the IEEE Conference
on Decision and Control (CDC), pp. 1572-1577, 1995.
10) A. Sinha and P. Sharma, "Design of a CMG based self-balancing two-wheeler," International Journal of
Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 45-52, 2017.
11) M. Yamakita and Y. Furuta, "Control of an autonomous bicycle with a gyroscopic stabilizer," Proceedings
of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 2279-2284,
2000.
12) S. K. Singh and R. Patel, "Development of a gyro-stabilized two-wheeler for low-speed stability,"
International Journal of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 4301-4315, 2017.
13) P. Kumar et al., "Control moment gyroscope for vehicle stabilization: A review," IOP Conference Series:
Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 402, 2018.
14) R. C. Juvinall and K. M. Marshek, Fundamentals of Machine Component Design, 6th ed. Wiley, 2017.
15) D. S. Kumar, Mechanical Engineering Design Data Book, 3rd ed. SK Kataria, 2015.
16) V. Ganesan, Internal Combustion Engines, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2012.
17) B. P. Pundir, I.C. Engines: Combustion and Emissions, Narosa, 2010.
18) T. D. Gillespie, Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics, SAE, 1992.
19) R. Rajamani, Vehicle Dynamics and Control, 2nd ed. Springer, 2012.