Best Form Of Six Wheel Drive?

[Madison]

I'd be interested in learning how many other teams have run 6WD with omniwheels at the corners before we started to do so last season and what their experiences were. I can't recall anyone doing it prior, but my knowledge of robots is hardly encyclopaedic.

I don't like rock, so I moved away from 6WD with a lowered wheel beginning last season to eliminate the rock. It's marginally more maneuverable than designs without omniwheels, as well, and that's worked well for us for the last several years. We haven't run into many problems with being turned in place, but we have also purposefully and successfully avoided roles that draw attention to ourselves and bring defense.

I've been thinking a lot lately about why some teams use a high traction wheel as the center pair in a 6WD. There may be some benefit -- again with respect to maneuverability -- but such an arrangement does not offer increased pushing force over 6WD with three pairs of identical wheels, so I'm not convinced that accomodating the differing wheels is worth the trouble.