pic: Jester Drive:Mecanum Wheel Drive Train

[thoughtful]

WOW, looks awesome.

This is something new to me, kodos to your team on buildign such an innovative and manuverable robot.

[663.keith]

I think WPI had wheels similar to these on their robot this year. I'll try and find a good picture of them.

[roboticscom13]

These wheels are similar but very different to the "grenade" wheels. These wheels are specifically designed for the purpose of allowing slip so the the robot can move laterally left and right as well as provide decent traction for forward and backward movement. However i do not believe, from what i have read on the"grenade" wheels, that they allow for this type of movement. To the best of my knowledge the grenade wheel is just another way to create an omni-wheel, but please correct me if i am wrong. The total weight of the entire robot is 105 lbs. In fact that is with no "speed" holes at all.

[ahecht]

Originally Posted by 663.keith

I think WPI had wheels similar to these on their robot this year. I'll try and find a good picture of them.

I'm glad we weren't the only ones crazy enough to try something like this. Out of curiosity, how do you guys control the robot?

[roboticscom13]

I stand corrected. Yes we do control the robot.

[ahecht]

Originally Posted by roboticscom13

I stand corrected. Yes we do control the robot.

Oops, major typo there. I meant "how do you control the robot", but I left a word out. Are you using one joystick for translation and another for rotation, modified tank steering, or another method?

[rocknthehawk]

i'm assuming team 190 has pretty much the same wheels, and when i saw them at BAe, my jaw hit the floor...they are AWESOME. My only question is, do htey make it easier to push around? also, i noticed team 190 had some trouble controlling it early on...how exactly DO you control it??

[ahecht]

Because of the orientation of the rollers, a mecanum wheelbase is never in a position where it can be pushed without skidding. In the worst case scenerio, where the robot is pushed on a diagonal, there are still two wheels with rollers whose axes are aligned parallel to the pushing force. I can't speak for the Jesters, but if their rollers are anything like ours, they have pretty good traction and pushing resistance.

On 190, we have our controls set up with a one stick to translate the robot and a second stick to control rotation. I know that they were having trouble getting everything working at BAE, but the system worked pretty well in the shop.

[Jeffmudhs]

We use one controller. If I remember correctly, mind you i'm not on the drive team and have not driven the robot, i believe we use the trigger + direction for translational drive, and the button to spin. As stated above, We are not easily pushed because of the orientation of the wheels. they form to make a shape such as:

\ /
/ \

It is noticable on the drawing above. The wheels allow for slip so we can be pushed with enough force and so that it does not damage parts for the drive train (easily, all things break).

I hope this answers your question.

[SizzelChest330]

Do you guys know how much actual Pushing power you have? I know with Mecanum wheels you need alot of traction or else you wont get very far in a pushing match...
And do you know your speed with them?
I'm guessing with 4 wheel CIM Motor drive your getting about 6-8 Fps or am I wrong?

[Nitroxextreme]

those wheels look so awesome
all they all custom made by your team

has anyone been able to find a place to buy them
i know that my team wanted to use them what was unable to find them for purchase

and without a decent shop we have almost no choice but to not use them

[Jeffmudhs]

As stated previously, yes they were all created by the team. Hand mixed, and hand poured. That includes the molds we have used to pour them into.

[CyberWolf_22]

My team and I have had a design using these wheels for the past two years now but have not found a way to produce them. It is great to see that a couple teams have done it successfully. Good Luck at your regionals. I will be sure to stop by your pit at championship.

[Greg Needel]

team 211 has a very similar drive aswell

[Alex357]

Just to clear a few things up...
This is a mecanum wheel hybrid completely manufactured by our team. The rollers are configured on 45 degree angles on our custom hubs. In order for the wheels to achieve their designed motion, each roller's bearings are actually molded into their urethane rubber material. The angles make an "X" pattern.

\\\ ///

/// \\\

Forward motion is achieved by driving all four wheels forward, the same concept applies for backward. Though there is a specific way to do it with these wheels, spinning can also be done in the traditional tank steering manner.

The translational movements are achieved on a screw principle. Diagonal wheels move in the same direction while the other diagonals move in the opposite. For example, the front right and back left move forward, while the others move backward. The roller configuration causes the robot to "slide" left and right.

These wheels can also achieve omni-directional movement: for example, spinning about its own axis while driving in an arc.

The mecanum wheel's rollers prevent the robot from being pushed freely like traditional onmi-wheels.