pic: Dual omni-wheel

[Pat Fairbank]

Originally Posted by Rohan_DHS

i gotta pretty newb-ish question...what is the advantage of an omni wheel over a regular wheel...is it traction?

There's two basic ways in which omni-wheels can be used.

The first involves placing 3 or 4 omni-wheels at angles to each other. With proper motor control, this allows the robot to travel in any direction, regardless of it's orientation - this is referred to as a holonomic drivetrain.

The second method involves a regular 4- or 6-wheel-drive drivetrain, where some of the wheels are replaced with omni-wheels. The robot still maintains almost the same amount of traction and manoeuverability (as opposed to using casters) but turning is much easier since the omni-wheels can slip sideways.

Hope that answers your question.