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Originally Posted by DjAlamose
Has anyone ever though of this, Omni tank Treads?
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I don't really think there is a good way to do it. I may be wrong, or I possibly havn't thought of something, but I think an omni tank tread system would essentially be pointless in one aspect.
You could create a holonomic or mecanum system with tank treads by mounting rollers on treads, but that defeats the point of treads, traction. It reduces the contact area of the tread greatly to add rollers that allow a holonomic or mecanum system to function.
Tank treads are likely too high in traction to allow a swerve drive systems wheels (treads in this case) to turn properly, but it might be possible.
Returning to the actual topic, having a massive drivetrain is nice, but it can be overkill. I wouldn't go beyond 6 motors, otherwise you would be adding a great extent of weight (not just the weight of the motors, but also the gears required to add them into your drivetrain), removing a motor from your manipulator, and adding significant complexity in both design and manufacturing. 4 small CIMs geared properly (especially in a low gear of a shifter) is adequate for a majority of shoving matches, but I can see why you would want to add additional motors for that "extra kick". Personally, I agree that I would mount them directly into the drivetrain, rather than as an extra kicker at the end.
Beware the slippage issue though. If you're not slipping, you're stalling your motors. Additionally, you may actually strip the treading from your wheel (116 managed to do this twice
). If you're slipping though, that extra motor may just be wasted power.