Reducing wheel traction

[sanddrag]

Go to your LHS and get some "sump pump hose" It is about $10 for 24 feet. (around here anyway) It looks like corrugated drain hose but is much softer and more flexible. Cut a slit down the side of that and zip-tie it over two of your wheels. Your robot will turn so nice you won't believe your eyes.

If you have durability problems with that you can use a sturdier "pool vacuum hose" which is a harder material but stil just as flexible. It is a bit more expensive at $1.10-2.60 per foot. This will give increased durability and forward traction over the sump pump hose but sideways traction with this material is not as good but still much better than just tires.

[CyberWolf_22]

We put zip ties on our wheels.

[Roland]

We cut the rubber off some 8" (I think) Skyway wheels and milled horizontal slots into the sides. They have great traction going forward, but turning from side to side is smooth as silk. I saw a lot of zip tied wheels in the regional webcasts I watched.

[Gabriel]

We struggled with this problem as well.

At UTC zipties were allowed to be wrapped around the wheels, but if the robot stalls and the refs see damage to the carpet they will make you take off the zipties.

UTC Refs will also allow you to wrap tape around the wheels as a traction device but NOT as a fastener. This interpretation seems a little weird to me so I don't know if it will be allowed at every site.

Velcro is NOT allowed.

The best idea is vacuum cleaner hose, which I believe was called sump-pump hose earlier in the thread. Team 500 was generous enough to supply us with a lot of this stuff.

Remember, this will probably change your traction significantly so your driver will need a lot of practice to readjust and your autonomous mode will need to be recalibrated.

[edomus]

Originally Posted by Gabriel

We struggled with this problem as well.

At UTC zipties were allowed to be wrapped around the wheels, but if the robot stalls and the refs see damage to the carpet they will make you take off the zipties.

UTC Refs will also allow you to wrap tape around the wheels as a traction device but NOT as a fastener. This interpretation seems a little weird to me so I don't know if it will be allowed at every site.

Velcro is NOT allowed.

The best idea is vacuum cleaner hose, which I believe was called sump-pump hose earlier in the thread. Team 500 was generous enough to supply us with a lot of this stuff.

Remember, this will probably change your traction significantly so your driver will need a lot of practice to readjust and your autonomous mode will need to be recalibrated.

at annapolis some teams were required to remove their zip ties

[SkitzoSmurf]

Take skyway wheels, 6" I believe, drill holes in black plastic, use vaccuum hose, and zip ties, and bingo. I know that a few teams had these at the pre-season meets, and after that, EVERYONE had em.

[Paradox1350]

Yeah, I reccommend the sump-pump hose. Simple, cheap, light weight, and it works. The zipties work too, but again, you could be told to remove them. That wouldn't be good.