Circle base vs. Rectangle base

[ay2b]

What advantage do you think a circular base will give you? What disadvantages do you think it will give you?

Have you considered other shapes? Perhaps a triangular or hexagonal base? I would think that a circular base would be harder to manufacture, due to not having straight lines. Another shape, like a hexagon, might give you a close-enough approximation to a circle to gain whatever advantage you expect to get from a circular base, while still being relatively easy to cut pieces for.

Personally, I think that since most robots will be rectangles of approximately the same dimensions, it would be nice to see some variety out there. I recall seeing one robot a few years ago (2002?), which was based on a triangular base. It had three wheels, 120 degrees apart from each other, and functioned as an omni-drive. I've heard of another similar drive which, in 2003, drove and turned so fast it would bank up on only 2 wheels.