[Neil B]

I don't know. If you're going to go Ackerman you'd better have a good turning radius and some good programming for your controllers. It seems to me that there is a lot of space open on the field (each lane is 13 feet wide) but I also think that there's going to be a lot of robot crowding, especially when robots are extended. It seems to me that Ackerman would be difficult to steer precisely when it's on the opposite side of the field; especially with trackballs that are so big they could potentially completely block the view of your robot. The other issue I forsee is a difficulty in turning around unless you intend to be using reverse (another adventure in steering with Ackerman). I'm not saying it can't be done but it will take a lot of practice for the drivers to get good and precise with their steering considering they have a fixed point of reference instead of one on the object (like in a car).

In either case, it will be very interesting to see what drive trains everyone is using. We're thinking of a 6-wheel drive for this year; power when you need it, maneuverability when you need it.