Shaky Hand: A Novel Laboratory Demonstrator

The Shaky Hand system is a new, visually appealing laboratory demonstrator. It is presented as a novel concept for use in control education—as an effective combination of mechanical and electronic hardware, firmware and software. Based on a simple village fête game, the aim is to guide, under feedback control, a wire loop along a meandering wire track from one end to another, without touching the loop to the track. The system utilizes a set of electromagnetic proximity sensors to locate and follow the track. This paper describes the mechanical and electrical components that make up Shaky Hand, and the control strategy that is used to effect successful control action. Shaky Hand is also implemented in simulation, and the paper describes the mathematical modelling.