Tread or Wheels?

[P.J. Baker]

Copying the Techno-Kat tread setup is not for the faint of heart. I really would not advise a rookie team to start there.

It is very labor intensive. Each aluminum cleat is hand made and I'm pretty sure that steel mounting brackets must be made and welded onto the chain for each cleat.

In general, I would say that treaded systems are more difficult to debug and maintain. #45 has made it work wonderfully for them, but I would advise that your 1st robot have a simple 4WD, tank steering setup. It will be easier to build and you'll have a lot more time to debug it.

The traction problem that many wheeled machines had last year stemmed more from the relatively low friction between the bare wheel chair wheels and the carpet.

I would advise you to invest some time in finding materials that can be wrapped around the wheelchair wheels for increased traction. Many teams, including us, used timing belt material.

If you have good grip with your wheels, there shouldn't be a problem. Our machine last year could pretty easily push both goals (one loaded with balls) onto the bridge


Good Luck!

P.J.