How well does this work on carpet?

[NextPerception]

I saw this picture


I am assuming those are just delrin skids and I was wondering how well these work on carpet. anyone know?

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I'm not sure how well that one worked, but I've seen others like that and they didn't really have any glaring problems. Could be pretty unstable and would easily get caught to the point of no return on the game field.

[NextPerception]

really. I am not worried about the actuating part on that robot just the skids. it would make our design much simpler to use skids instead of casters or omni wheels (we are considering the 2-wheel drive with casters set up)

[redbarron]

If you are asking if they serve as a good skid plate than yeah it works, but you wil not have much traction at all. You will be pushed around very easily, especially if it gets pushed from the side towards the front. Also, if you are planing on going up a ramp the odds wil be against you.

[redbarron]

Why are you looking at casters or skids?

[NextPerception]

it shouldnt be any harder to push one with skid plates and a two wheel drive setup than one with a two wheel drive with omnis or casters correct?

[redbarron]

No I would think they were all in the same general category when it comes to resistance when being pushed, but why are you avoiding wheels?

[MrForbes]

If it has to go up a ramp, just make sure the skid pads have a large enough radius that they will go over the edge of most ramps without getting stuck.

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by redbarron

No I would think they were all in the same general category when it comes to resistance when being pushed, but why are you avoiding wheels?

It would just be lighter weight and easier to implement (i could put it in a tighter ground clearence) than casters or omnis. I'm not avoiding wheels but if there is a better solution then I am going to take it .

Originally Posted by squirrel

If it has to go up a ramp, just make sure the skid pads have a large enough radius that they will go over the edge of most ramps without getting stuck.

im not worried about ramps...

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by NextPerception

im not worried about ramps...

yeah, I suppose if you're building the ramp, you don't need to worry about getting up on other ramps

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by squirrel

yeah, I suppose if you're building the ramp, you don't need to worry about getting up on other ramps

tisk tisk squirrel.
that my friend is thinking inside the box

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by squirrel

yeah, I suppose if you're building the ramp, you don't need to worry about getting up on other ramps

Wait 'til the match all 3 teams on an alliance have that mentality...



As for the delrin skids, several teams have used them in the past with success (success being in that they could move and control their robot accurately, not always actually winning matches). That being said, depending on your design, they may or may not offer any advantages or disadvantages over casters or dead omnis.
I know 422 has used skids several times, including 2003, 2004, and 2006 (probably 2005 as well, but I'm not positive). Here's a picture of their 2006 bot (which could make it up the ramp):

[Rickertsen2]

Our second year, we had a system with two wheels and two skids like the one in the pic. It had trouble turning and was far too easy to push around. I would highly discourage this configuration.

If however you have two wheels in the middle and 4 skids at each corner of the bot, you have a highly maneuverable bot. We have tried this config with great success. It still suffers from the problem of being easy to rotate but it never presented a problem for us. If you are looking for a 2wd setup i think this would be the way to go. One thing to keep in mind with this config is that the skids must be a elevated a small distance from the height of the wheels. because of this the bot may rock slightly but it is usually negligible. This might not be a good setup for this year because it cannot climb obstacles but it is something to keep in mind.

I think the best overall combination for this yer would be simple 4wd.

[redbarron]

Well I have seen these skid plates in action and they serve their purpose the only downside is that they have no traction. But are you going to be strictly a offensive robot?

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by redbarron

Well I have seen these skid plates in action and they serve their purpose the only downside is that they have no traction. But are you going to be strictly a offensive robot?

"im not allowed to say" says matt as he nods his head up and down

atleast that is the plan right now