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Unread 09-01-2013, 14:49
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Kevin Sevcik Kevin Sevcik is offline
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Re: Mecanum vs Treads

If I might summarize the Mecanum side of things, for easy reference...

Pros: Highly maneuverable, Fast (if you gear it to be), Cheapest Holonomic drive available.

Cons: Less traction, More driver training to use effectively, more expensive than a 6-wheel drive, and prone to wonky driving on uneven surfaces unless you have a suspension, use encoder and gyro closed loop control, and check and maintain the rollers on a regular basis.

So, unless maneuverability is really that incredibly important to you, you probably want to use something other than Mecanums.

On the treads side of things, as far as I'm concerned, a tank tread drivetrain is almost identical to a good 6 wheel drive, only it's more expensive and complicated and less reliable.
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