[Jeff Waegelin]

My team built a holonomic drivetrain in 2006, using DeWalt transmissions and 6" AndyMark omniwheels. The costs that people have listed above are similar to what we spent.

It was a great learning experience, and we got a lot out of the whole design process, but it turned out to be poorly suited to the game that year. We had virtually no pushing power, which made it exceedingly difficult to get into and stay in position while shooting balls into the goal with 2 defenders in the way. We also spent a lot of the season tweaking the software to improve driver control and autonomous mode - holonomic is very software intensive... without good code, your robot won't drive straight, or even at all. You also have to find the right person to drive it - we had a veteran driver, but he struggled with it the entire season. When I drove the mentor match at IRI, though, I was able to take off and go with almost no practice... some people just think the right way, and others don't.

All this being said, there are great benefits - namely the phenomenal maneuverability. Two things will help you out greatly: first, think about the design and how it fits into the game. Not all games will lend themselves well to a holonomic drive. Second, build a prototype! Unless you have tremendous resources available, and impeccable time and project management skills, you may find yourself in week 6 (or at your first regional!) still trying to get the drivetrain moving. If you do those two things, though, holonomic can be both a fun project, and a great advantage on the field.