The inverted Pendulum: A fundamental Benchmark in Control Theory and Robotics

For at least fifty years, the inverted pendulum has been the most popular benchmark, among others, for teaching and researches in control theory and robotics. This paper presents the key motivations for the use of that system and explains, in details, the main reflections on how the inverted pendulum benchmark gives an effective and efficient application. Several real experiences, virtual models and web-based remote control laboratories will be presented with emphasis on the practical design implementation of this system. A bibliographical survey of different design control approaches and trendy robotic problems will be presented through applications to the inverted pendulum system. In total, 150 references in the open literature, dating back to 1960, are compiled to provide an overall picture of historical, current and challenging developments.