Omni drive train

[Jack S.]

Originally Posted by CENTURION

The system 624 is using in that video is known as Nonadrive, because it has nine wheels (Nona = prefix for nine). It switches back and forth between the five omniwheels and the four traction wheels. 148's 2010 robot also featured a Nonadrive (As far as I know they first invented it)

While the system that we used this season is heavily based off of 148's Nonadrive, it's actually a simplified, lighter weight, and easier to machine variant that we call the GrassHopper drive. Only the front two traction wheels actuate down in traction mode, thus tilting the robot back at a slight angle and pushing the back two traction wheels into the ground as well. The chassis was assembled from mostly WCP VersaChassis components, limiting the machining complexity required.

After championships we made a few modifications to the original drive and saw even more maneuverability in omni mode, as well as increased pushing ability in traction mode.

Personally, I prefer this drive to Octocanum. I think that it allows more maneuverability in non-traction mode without the added weight of four shifting modules. With our off-season iteration working quite well and brains churning on possible future improvements, I would not be surprised if this drive made a return in upcoming seasons (game permitting of course).

You can find some info on our original iteration here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2968?
If you have any questions on our drive, feel free to ask.