Balancing arm model for education

One of the biggest challenge in the field of technical education is not only to raise students interest in the subject, but also to teach practical application of theoretical knowledge in real systems. The area of controller design requires connection with practice. Students should be able to design and verify the controller design not only by simulation but also on a real plant. Experiments on a real controlled plant bring greater interest in the issue and improve understanding and consolidating knowledge. In this paper we present a laboratory model of balancing arm which we designed and built for educational and research purposes. Our model enables to test and verify advanced identification and control methods. We provide a detail description of the model, its physical and technical background and basic measured characteristics. The set of possible experiments is outlined as well.