Thread: do tracks and wheels together make a better robot?
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Unread 14-01-2006, 20:07
KenWittlief KenWittlief is offline
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Re: do tracks and wheels together make a better robot?
Tank tracks are one of those things that keep showing up on FIRST robots, in ways that I dont understand.

Friction requires a downward force. If you look at an army tank, or a bulldozer, there are idler wheels all down the side that push the track into the ground.

but I have never seen a FIRST robot with those idler wheels. If you dont have them, then what is pushing the tread into the carpet between the wheels?

ans: nothing!

I might be wrong on this, but a robot that has two wheels on each side with a tank tread, and a robot that has two wheels on each side that use the tank tread wrapped around the wheels instead (as tire material) should have exactly the same pushing force

and way less complexity

[Ken dons his fire retardant suit and hides under desk]
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