[jester_assault]

Our team has been using Mecanum Wheels for the past three competition seasons. While we do not have the same experience with omni wheels, we have found Mecanums to be very advantageous. For starters, the myth that Mecanums cannot push or defend all depends on the specific style and type mecanum wheel being. In 2005 and 2007, we used a six inch mecanum wheel design, which ment we had to use a small roller. This gave us little contact with the floor at any given time. However, we were fast and maneuverable enough that we did not need to defend and we had very offensive robots. However, in 2006 when we used a larger wheel and large rollers, we were a very defensive bot. At our final competitions we could stop one or ever two robots at a time very easily from scoring in the high goal as well as push other robots when necissary. The amount of friction and pushing power you get from mecanum wheels depends on the size and material of the wheel as well as the roller design. We also found that we could climb the 30 degree rame at the end of the match without any problems.