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Unread 06-01-2010, 11:06
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Re: Rover wheels on carpet?

Way, way back (almost a year ago, now!) we had our initial rolling chassis outfitted for testing with the rover wheels. The programming team was out in the carpeted hallway doing a little driving to make sure everything was working fine... As they drove down and back, you could literally see the static electric discharges traveling between the robot and the wall (where, i assume, they used those hollow metal studs instead of 2x4's - at least, that's what they used when they renovated our build space the past few months).

The above results make sense... Think about shuffling your feet over carpet during the winter, then touching a door knob - you get a shock. Do the same thing on a hard wood floor, you don't (or at least, not as much). Carpet is GREAT for creating static electricity, which is a huge drawback here.

I would suggest changing the wheels - it really doesn't take too long, and would be a lot safer than any other option.