We've done some work on the "Big Wheel" concept design to look at the center of mass (CoM) issues:
- 8" wheels result in a narrow wheel base ~8"
- When climbing the 50 deg churros rungs, the contact point of the wheels narrows to 5.3" and the vertical distance inside the wheel base narrows to ~3.5"
- Not only must the CoM be kept inside the 3.5" zone, torque from the rear wheel can flip the robot.
- We want to maintain 2" clearance between robot bottom to floor. This prevents lowering the motors, battery, etc. This will allow "debris" to pass under without obstructing travel of the robot. "Tripping" over the blocks could hinder autonomous navigation.
We sketched a design where the motors are set forward and battery is at front. Even this does not put the CoM in the "safe zone".
