Encoders on mecanum drive?

[juchong]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

It sounds like you've just been using encoders as odometers, rather than as elements in a closed-loop control system.

The typical use on a mecanum drivebase is to maintain highly detailed control over the wheels, to make the robot go in exactly the direction and at exactly the velocity desired. Each wheel is independenly driven with encoder feedback letting the speed controller update the voltage quickly in order to keep the wheel turning precisely as specified by the software.

If you couple this information with a gyro sensor, you can achieve very accurate field-centric driving! It also has the side effect of making your autonomous very predictable!