An Educational Platform for Real-Time Control and Reinforcement Learning Experiments Using Rotary Inverted Pendulum and LW-RCP

Doyoon Ju, Jongbeom Lee, Young Sam Lee

2025

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated experimental platform for hands-on education in control engineering, built around a compact rotary inverted pendulum system based on a stepper motor and a Simulink-based Light Weight Rapid Control Prototyping (LW-RCP) environment. The proposed platform supports real-time implementation of a wide range of control experiments, including current-based vector control, nonlinear swing-up control, linear stabilization, and reinforcement learning-based control. The hardware consists of a rotary inverted pendulum made with 3D-printed components and a hollow-shaft stepper motor, incorporating a compact inverter realized through an L6234 motor driver. Its compact and lightweight design allows for tabletop experimentation, enabling one-device-per-student operation and enhancing scalability in education. On the software side, users can design controllers and collect real-time data through Simulink’s block-based modeling interface without coding. Moreover, Python integration enables sim-to-real experiments with reinforcement learning controllers. This platform complements traditional theory-centric control engineering education by offering rich hands-on experiences, thereby increasing student motivation and fostering a deeper conceptual understanding through the full process of controller design and system response analysis.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Ju D., Lee J. and Lee Y. (2025). An Educational Platform for Real-Time Control and Reinforcement Learning Experiments Using Rotary Inverted Pendulum and LW-RCP. In Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO; ISBN 978-989-758-770-2, SciTePress, pages 274-281. DOI: 10.5220/0013740000003982

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icinco25,
author={Doyoon Ju and Jongbeom Lee and Young Lee},
title={An Educational Platform for Real-Time Control and Reinforcement Learning Experiments Using Rotary Inverted Pendulum and LW-RCP},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO},
year={2025},
pages={274-281},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013740000003982},
isbn={978-989-758-770-2},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO
TI - An Educational Platform for Real-Time Control and Reinforcement Learning Experiments Using Rotary Inverted Pendulum and LW-RCP
SN - 978-989-758-770-2
AU - Ju D.
AU - Lee J.
AU - Lee Y.
PY - 2025
SP - 274
EP - 281
DO - 10.5220/0013740000003982
PB - SciTePress