[dtengineering]

The decision to build an omni-directional drive train... however you do it... doesn't have to be based solely upon what is best for winning the game.

It should be based on what is best for your team.

Rarely have I ever seen a truly dominant robot dominate because it has an omni-direction drive system. In fact, given our experience with a mecanum system, the additional degree of freedom actually makes the robot slightly more difficult to drive and it takes longer for the driver to learn to use the ability productively... until then it just makes it more complex to drive.

However, if you have a dedicated, well-balanced team with solid machining and programming abilities and are looking for a challenge... especially if you haven't built an omni-drive robot yet... then consider building one just because it is something cool and technically challenging that you have yet to do!

Omni-bots are really, really cool whatever method you use to achieve the goal.

Jason