[Bryce2471]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

I can see a lot of advantages of this configuration. It would be easier to build and program, it would give a robot the ability to strafe without sacrificing traction, and it would be no worse at pivoting than a standard tank drive (though not as good as a 4-wheel-independant swerve). Do you know of any team that has tried it?

One catch - as the wheels turn 90 degrees to strafe, the wheel pairing pattern would need to change to allow differential steering. You might still need 4 independent drive motors (need to think about this a bit). Even so, it would be simpler to implement the steering.

In 2012, my team did crab drive based on the wild swerve module. I was easier to implement, but the lack of steering ability made the extra weight marginally worth it. This year we did a custom independent swerve drive. I took some more development, but we are much happier with the results.