Quote:
Originally Posted by Lireal
Could basketballs be replaced by a metalsphere, with some kind of coating for traction? Would a sphere like this work: http://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/Ca...Id= 204&NSM=Y
If not, how thick would 8-10 in diameter steel spheres need to be to support the weight of a ~100 lb robot? |
I think that would be a better way to go. As GeeTwo pointed out, the deformation in the basketballs is going to cause major problems with the driving.
I think the best way to "coat" the basketballs would be to cut some type of grippy material into hexagons and pentagons and glue them on like the ones on a soccer ball.
As for the strength of those steel spheres, I have no idea; you probably have to do some force calculations. They are most likely strong enough; I have played with some garden decoration spheres and they would appear to be able to support this.