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Unread 29-10-2006, 20:25
KenWittlief KenWittlief is offline
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Re: What type of drive train is the most maneuverable?

I think the simplicity and low energy requirements of a 2 wheel drive system are being overlooked:

1. with a 2 wheel drive system you dont have to scrub any wheels to turn. It takes very little power to steer

2. instead of using castors, you can use low friction material and have skid plates on the corners. Anyone who has ever pushed a shopping cart knows castors take some force to get them to point in the direction you want them to go. The result is the force required to turn is non-linear until the castor rotates. A skid plate solves this problem, or you could use a ball style castor (its like a big ball bearing that is free to rotate in any direction.

3. You can compensate for the 'being pushed sideways' and 'hard to steer up a ramp' issue very simply, using the yaw rate sensor (gyro chip) that has been in the KOP, and using a simple feedback loop to close the loop on the steering. Then you have the best of both worlds, a robot that will spin on a dime, taking very little energy to do so, and that will use all of its available motor power to keep pointing in the direction the joystick is commanding, no matter who or what (gravity) is trying to make it turn.