Quote:
Originally Posted by jayjaywalker3
Can you tell me a bit about this please. I dont know enough about these drive trains.
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I can try, but it requires a pretty extensive knowledge of drivetrains. At the most basic level, we can compare coefficients of friction and determine if a robot can push another, and if so, how easily. Beyond that, it gets a bit more complicated. I've been really into drive system design since I was a sophomore, so by now, I can look at a drive system's specs and pretty accurately predict how it will preform, which is a skill gained primarily by reading every thread (2001 to present) on CD about drive systems, reading every whitepaper I can find on drive systems, as well as practical experience. Spending a lot of time running the numbers on theoretical drive system designs helps too.
Some basic rules of thumb (these don't apply in all cases, but are true in most): if the robot uses a 4WD with traditional wheels (no onmis) and their wheelbase is significantly longer than their track width, their turning will be bouncy and the robot will not be very maneuverable. If it has a 6WD with a lowered centre wheel, tapping the corner should spin it relatively easily. If a robot is using IFI traction wheels and is has a one-speed gearbox geared to go really fast (like 11+ft/s), the breakers on their drive motors will pop readily in pushing matches. Mecanum, kiwi, and other omni designs (not including swerves) tend to be really easy to push out of your way. And so on.
Basically, by using my knowledge of drive systems, we can advise alliance partners on how to defend against our opponents by exploiting the weaknesses in their drive systems (unfortunately, swerve drives have no weaknesses to exploit...), while capitalizing on the strengths of the defender's own. You could probably do something similar for counter-defense defense, but that is a bit harder to plan. Anyway, this year, such strategizing is not very useful given the restrictions on defense. You'd have better luck exploiting the weaknesses of a robot's gripper design.