Video of Mecanum Drive Running Circles Around 6 Wheel Drives

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by EricH

2002, and before then, 1999. Those are the only two games I can think of that had a perfectly flat field.

There's this persistent idea that mecanum wheels transmogrify into awful willy-nilly machines on a non-flat field.

A. They don't, and can often traverse obstacles with little (or no) more difficulty than standard wheels.
B. All FIRST fields are largely flat, even those with obstacles, giving lots of opportunity for using the omnidirectional versatility of the drive.
C. Even on uneven surfaces, drivers can often compensate, though admittedly it is harder... Then again, the number of teams I saw stuck against the barrier or bridges last year that were WCD or KBoS tells me that this isn't a mecanum problem per se, it's a driver practice problem.

I know this thread is about defense, but TBH where omnidirectional drives shine is in fine control for lining up (at the feeder slot, for example). Mecanum drives are comparatively cheap, easy to install, and easy to program compared to other omni systems, and thus are a reasonable choice for teams looking for omni capabilities without a huge investment of time, money, and energy.