Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Anderson
I can think of several directions for improvement of mecanum-style wheels. Figuring out a way for the rollers to never stick would be at the top of my list, followed by a simple roller lock to improve the maximum forward torque before losing traction, and eventually adding powered rollers to give better sideways power.
Optimizing mecanum material selection and mechanical design isn't done at all. Just increasing robustness while decreasing weight would go a long way toward making mecanum wheels better for FRC team use.
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It's been a while, but I'll reply anyway...
While it's true that you can make improvements like these, they are more design solutions and optimizations rather than conceptual changes. A mecanum wheel, no matter how well deisgned, will still be just that: a mecanum wheel. Rollers tilted at 45* angles on a wheel. There can't be any kind of mecanum revolution unless somebody figures out how to lock the rollers without wasting weight.
This is not a bad thing, as optimization is a very good thing and makes good ideas better, but it does show inherent limitations in mecanums. Other kinds of drives can be done in many different ways by comparison.