omni drive vs tank

[dude__hi]

Originally Posted by Matt Adams

Cristian, thanks for contributing to this thread. However, I think that this statement isn't quite true. However, you're not the only one who has made this sort of statement before, so don't feel too bad!

The amount of linear force that a wheel provides isn't completely related to the chain tension that is spinning the wheel, as John mentioned before, it's really related to the coefficient of friction (how sticky the wheel is) between the wheel and carpet.

If you take a step back and imagine that your front omni wheels are actually made of a material that really slips on the carpet, they won't be contributing the pushing force your robot can produce. As the chain pulls on the sprocket that turns the wheel, the traction heavy wheels in the back will be biting in to the carpet, while the front will basically be slipping. Basically, you take the coefficient of friction times the weight on each wheel to get how much force your robot can push with.

Hope this helps clarify!

Matt

That may be true but from experience I know that the omnis do help in a pushing match especially when helped by the back wheels.