Mecanum Einstein this year

[IndySam]

The best most practiced drivers will make it to Einstein just like every year. It doesn't matter what kind of drive it is.

[sgreco]

Originally Posted by MattC9

I know there alot of debate on this subject but I think this is the year we will see a set of mech's on einstein. I say this because were seeing a flat playing field so mecanums will be very effective. Plus mecanums and there drivers have progressed over the years in 2007 most teams made there own or they didn't know how to use them but this year we have great choices from andymark and our drivers have gotten very comfortable with the drivetrain, I think these are all good factors that might lead to a mecanum getting on Einstein

If I were I betting man, I bet a lot of money that we won't see a mecanum bot on Einstein...

Mecanum's advantage is not in a flat field, it's in a tight area where you don't have room to change your orientation. FIRST never has a field with so many obstacles that you can't re-orient. Mecanum will be an equal the same this year as in past years. Mecanum serves no practical advantage on a FIRST field. Nothing has changed that this year.

Just like the past, we will not see a mecanum bot on Einstein.

[EricLeifermann]

Originally Posted by thefro526

By crab, I'm assuming you mean swerve. If memory serves me correctly, there has been at least one swerve drive on Einstein in 5 of the past 6 years, 67 in 2005

67 in 2005 had 3 wheels and did not swerve they drove their bot with a steering wheel and used the back wheel to "steer" their bot around.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

I think there may be a decent chance this year. I think this year sets up best for mecanum since 2008. In 2008, three of the division finalist alliances had a mecanum robot (2171 in Curie, 842 in Archimedes, and 384 in Galileo...although I THINK each of those teams were the 3rd robot on their alliance). I don't think mecanum is that far off from making the biggest stage.

842's 2008 robot was 2 traction 2 omni.

I thought it would happen in 2010 not on merit but on sheer volume, yet the alliances with no mecanum robots consistently won.

I suspect 2011 may break the cycle, not because mecanums are at an advantage but because of luck and volume.

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

67 in 2005 had 3 wheels and did not swerve they drove their bot with a steering wheel and used the back wheel to "steer" their bot around.

I believe all three wheels were turreted.

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

67 in 2005 had 3 wheels and did not swerve they drove their bot with a steering wheel and used the back wheel to "steer" their bot around.

67's 3 Wheel Swerve can clearly be seen in this picture:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/20540

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I believe all three wheels were turreted.

One of the few pictures in CD-Media that has a reasonably clean shot of their drivetrain: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/21750 It looks like they had a mode that would make the robot 2WD plus one pivoting driving wheel--that shot seems to say they've got 2 fixed and one pivot.

But the better shot is http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/20540, before all that shielding went on. Definitely a 3-wheel swerve.

Fun fact: of the 5 swerve drives on Einstein, only 2 were standard 4WD swerves (71 and 111). 2 were 3WD (67, 16), and one was a 6WD swerve (1625). 2 won the event (67, 111).

I don't remember a single swerve on Einstein in 2006.

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by Rangel(kf7fdb)

Last year was the first year team 842 used mechanum. What we had that year in 2008 was 2 back wheels driven by super shifters with omnis in the front of our robot.

Sorry about that. I knew you did them last year and looked at a pricture from 2008 and I guess I saw what I wanted to and expected to see.

[BrendanB]

I am going to say that we will not see a mecanum robot on einstein.

[ThirteenOfTwo]

I am going to disagree with anyone making a blanket statement and say that, while it is more likely we will see a mecanum on Einstein this year than in previous years due to volume and increasing repository of good code/driving ability, we should reserve categorical judgment until Einstein actually, y'know, happens.

[Jeff Waegelin]

I think there's a good chance we will see a mecanum on Einstein this year. Not because they have any inherent advantage in this game (they don't), but because out of the many teams that have chosen that drivetrain this year, there is a decent chance that one of them will end up in the 12 teams on Einstein. Their drive won't be the thing that gets them to that point though - it'll be on the strength of their other mechanisms.

[Aren_Hill]

Figured I'd hunt this down to say: Nope

[nikeairmancurry]

Originally Posted by Aren_Hill

Figured I'd hunt this down to say: Nope

Saw that coming

[yogi94]

Didn't 51 have mecanum this year?

[Aren_Hill]

I believe it was a "slide drive", the no traction wheel version of a nonadrive, so 5 omni's

[AlecMataloni]

I believe Aren's correct. Also, 2826 was VERY close to breaking the mecanum curse on einstein (although, they did use a jump drive to switch between mecanum and 6wd).