FILE:P-04
YEAR:2025–26
REV:WIP
§ PROJECT · A-LEVEL · IN PROGRESS
Self-Balancing
Desk Robot.
A two-wheel desk companion designed to stay upright using LQR control and Kalman sensor fusion — my A-Level Computer Science project. This page will fill out as the build progresses; for now it’s a placeholder while I’m deep in the mechanical and firmware stages.
Year2025 — 26
StatusIn progress
ContextA-Level project
StackESP32 · LQR
BUILD LOG · WORK IN PROGRESS
REV · WIP · 2026
This page is being written as I build the robot.
I’m currently working through the mechanical assembly, firmware and control loop. Once the robot is balancing reliably, this page will grow into a full build log — CAD, PCB, control theory derivations, sensor fusion, voice interface and the IR docking system. Thanks for your patience while it cooks.
Project progress
0% overall
Mechanical assembly70%
Kalman filter (sensor fusion)0%
LQR controller (balance)0%
Voice (mic & speaker)0%
Obstacle / cliff sensing0%
IR dock self-charging0%
Companion app0%
What’s coming to this page
- 01 Mechanical CAD + 3D-printed chassis walkthrough.
- 02 Custom PCB design in KiCad — ESP32-S3, IMU, motor driver.
- 03 State-space model + LQR gain derivation (the maths bit).
- 04 Kalman filter for IMU fusion — written from scratch in C++.
- 05 Voice loop, wake word + offline command routing.
- 06 IR beacon docking and self-charge cycle.
- 07 Final build log video.