Build a self-balancing robot

Build a two-wheeled robot that stands up on its own: a motion sensor measures its tilt 200 times a second, and a PID controller drives the wheels back under it.

Time3–5 weekends

Parts₹1,751–1,882

Tall frame built7 actions · read it below
A tilt angle you can trust4 wires, 9 actions
Motors answer18 wires, 8 actions
First stand: P and D7 actions
Steady and tuned5 actions

Start this build

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Before you start

Tools: Laptop with the Arduino IDE, Soldering iron, for the header pins on the driver and sensor and the motor wires, Multimeter, Li-ion charger, Drill and screwdriver, Hardware-shop bits: plywood or acrylic for three decks (about 10 × 15 cm each), M3 threaded rod or long M3 bolts, nuts and washers
Skills: Hard: build a simpler robot first (the line follower is a good one). Some soldering; steps 2–4 use code (or Get the code). Balancing takes patience: expect many small tuning tries before it stands.
Safety: Li-ion cells: protected cells and a proper charger only, and never short them. Protected bare 18650s can be hard to find in Indian shops, so check they fit your holder before you buy. Spinning wheels catch fingers and hair: hold the robot by its top deck while tuning.
Prices: Checked 2026-10, Robocraze prices with a clone Uno. Priced with Robocraze's 2600 mAh cells, which aren't listed as protected; unprotected cells have no cut-off if something shorts, so buy protected ones if you can find them. Use two cells of the same brand, bought together and charged the same. The top figure adds a ₹131 two-slot Li-ion charger if you don't have one. Plywood or acrylic for the decks, M3 threaded rod, nuts and screws come from a hardware shop and aren't included. An original Uno adds about ₹1,950.

Step 1 of 5

Tall frame built

Motors, wheels, battery and boards are fixed to a tall, rigid frame, with the heavy battery high up and the motion sensor close to the wheel axle.

Build it

Task 01 of 07

Why these motors: a balancing robot makes hundreds of tiny back-and-forth corrections. Plastic BO gearboxes have play, so a small correction can be swallowed before the wheel moves. Metal gears are stiffer and wear less. Why a TB6612FNG and not an L298N: the L298N loses roughly 1.5–2 V of a 7.4 V pack as heat, while the TB6612's MOSFETs lose far less, and it's smaller and lighter.

Check: You can say in one sentence why each part was chosen.

Steps

You need

2 × metal-gear TT motors (3–6 V, 1:90, about 200 RPM)
2 × 65 mm wheels made for TT motors
BO motor clamps (pack of 5), or two long M3 bolts per motor
Arduino Uno R3
TB6612FNG motor driver module
MPU6050 accelerometer and gyro module
400-point breadboard
2 × 18650 holder with an on/off switch
2 × protected 18650 Li-ion cells (check they fit your holder: protected cells are a few mm longer)
Three decks of plywood or acrylic (about 10 × 15 cm), M3 threaded rod or long bolts, nuts and washers

Build a self-balancing robot

Parts list

Tall frame built

Build it