Octocanum Drive/ Mecanum Suspension Designs?

[Dunngeon]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

Even when you're driving forward, mecanum doesn't behave as you expect when a wheel is off the floor. The front of the robot will rotate towards the side of the airborne wheel. If it's a front wheel that comes off the carpet, this will tend to rotate the robot so that it is more nearly parallel with the edge you are climbing, usually making matters worse.

And I can certainly imagine wanting to strafe across the scoring platform to cap a stack that was already built, or to pack the stacks in close to each other to leave room for more.

Please explain how so many robots with mecanum wheels are able to drive over the scoring platform perfectly fine at angles. It has quite a lot to do with the gyro/PID correction. (See videos of 1983, 3574 ect on PNW First youtube channel)

Also, if you're strafing ACROSS the scoring platform with your wheels on it how can you cap? The wheels will be where a stack is, unless you're like the High Tekerz and have you're wheels mounted perpendicular to the front of your robot w/ a cutout.



I'd also encourage teams to seriously consider just how much value holonomic motion is adding to your robot.

Ex: In the case of 4488 where everything is automated it is of high value to their game strategy (auto alignment to feeder station)
However, for a team with a built in ramp (2826) they easily align with the feeder station w/ a 6wd because they designed for imprecision, mecanum is of low value to them.

IN NO WAY am I saying that you should never use mecanum, but that you should honestly evaluate every option available to you in line with what Karthik outlines here. If, after honest analysis you believe that mecanum, octocanum or some other holonomic/holobrid is the best option; then go for it.

This section is a word of warning from a team that had a slide drive, and got rid of it because we weren't getting the value we expected out of it.