Omni vs Mecanum CoF ?

[yash101]

I do not know if this really helps, but my Vex Omnibot is able to climb walls (and end up flipping itself over) because it has a very high traction. To me, I think that omni wheels give a better traction than mecanum because it is pulling apart the carpet in the front and pushing it together in the back so it seems like the wheels would be a lot more grippy. Also, as I have noticed, omni is great for turning in place. This may be the size causing this, but I find that Omni is more responsive than mecanum! I can change the direction instantly and I won't have to wait for the rollers to stop coasting. However, this could be because of the robot size differences, and thus the inertia!

[JVN]

Originally Posted by yash101

I do not know if this really helps, but my Vex Omnibot is able to climb walls (and end up flipping itself over) because it has a very high traction. To me, I think that omni wheels give a better traction than mecanum because it is pulling apart the carpet in the front and pushing it together in the back so it seems like the wheels would be a lot more grippy. Also, as I have noticed, omni is great for turning in place. This may be the size causing this, but I find that Omni is more responsive than mecanum! I can change the direction instantly and I won't have to wait for the rollers to stop coasting. However, this could be because of the robot size differences, and thus the inertia!

Hi Devyash,
During design it is important to know not only "what" occurs, but "why." When you mention anecdotal things that you've seen, you're mentioning "what" happens, but not "why."

Often, people don't even see the truth of what is going on. People have an idea in their head of what is supposed to happen, and as such their observations fill in the blanks to make it true. (This is called confirmation bias.)

We can't always trust ourselves to actually make good observations. This is another reason for truly trying to understand "why" things behave like they do.

I've noticed you've made a few posts where you make blanket statements based on anecdotal observations. You need to be careful when you do this. It might be better to really "dig in" to the physics, and try to get to the bottom of how things really work. It is REALLY cool, I promise you. It will change your view of the world.

If you're interested in adding some depth to your expertise...
This is a cool thread where some really sharp people are debating the vector physics behind Mecanum Wheels vs Omni-Directional Wheels. You should "search all posts" by Ether, and read some of the things he's linked and discussed.

In addition, feel free to ask lots of questions of the veteran designers on this forum; they'll be happy to help you out (since they probably started in the same place you did).

Regards,
John