Arcade mecanum drive

[Ether]

Originally Posted by buchanan

It's really simple to set up the controls so that the driver can use whichever one works best for a given situation or maneuver. Set up one stick to operate robot-oriented and another field-oriented. Whichever one is non-zero takes control. Have a precedence rule in case both get grabbed, but in practice that won't happen if the same driver moves the same hand from one to the other.

Just use one joystick, but use robot-oriented when the trigger is pulled and field-oriented when the trigger is not pulled.

[buchanan]

Just use one joystick, but use robot-oriented when the trigger is pulled and field-oriented when the trigger is not pulled.

Certainly could do; whatever the drivers prefer.

While the IMO trite "lots of practice" is true in principle, and MAY even be the most important factor in driving effectiveness, it's not the only factor. Some control arrangements are better than others, and it's worth some effort to design one that works well for your situation. For a given amount of practice, whether a little or a lot, better control design gives better results, and better control design means better results with limited (imagine that) practice.

As the only team in FIRST that doesn't have a full sized practice field and multiple practice robots on which dedicated drivers with no other tasks during the build season can practice on from day one, we've had to deal with the fact that our drivers can't get as much practice as we'd like them to have. We are no doubt unique as well in having on ocasion not had a working robot ready for driver practice until ship day or regional practice day.

Practice is good, but good controls can help you deal with not getting as much of it as you'd like. One of the big practical advantages of holonomic drive is it gives you some control options you don't have with other arrangements