tank drive in this years game

[spc295]

how many teams will build 4wd tank drive anyway? even though it is probably not the best drivetrain for this years game? I am betting most rookies will anyways, as will quite a few veteran teams.

[AlexD744]

Our team, 744 Shark Attack, put the wheels on an old tank drive robot and found that our head driver was able to make turns, spin, and decelerate with out much struggle or delay. Although, this may not be the best, most efficient system, it is simple and is being considered by our team.

[Abra Cadabra IV]

Tank is probably the easiest, fastest to build, and (if you use the kit parts) cheapest drive train available, so naturally it's going to see a lot of use by new or poor teams. Other drives that work better just take too long, are too complex, or are too expensive for many teams to build. My team is currently going through a money/mentor crunch, so we're going with tank drive (even though we really wish we could build something else).

[DonRotolo]

So what kinds of drive are teams considering? Not looking to get anyone's secrets here, jst a discussion of what other alternatives there may be.

Several teams got some good experience with active steering in last year's game. Sadly we are not one of them.

[gorrilla]

if only we cold some how independently drive and steer each wheel......oh wait

[Siri]

If you're going with tank drive, I'd recommend 6 wheels (all driven) with a wider base than its length to maximize turning and minimize hysteresis. This is probably what we'll be doing.

[synth3tk]

We're most likely looking at 4WD tank steering, also. It's the most inexpensive, and (as far as we currently know) will be the best option for us.

Siri, interesting suggestion, I'll bring it up at our meeting tomorrow.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Siri

and minimize hysteresis.

I don't understand what you mean by this. But I find the idea interesting. Can you explain more?

[logicalyrandom]

My team will more than likely be using a wide chassis 4wd or 6wd, depending on how tests go, as they are cheep, and we're likewise low on money.

[jblay]

i think that the most common design will be 4wd tank which is the intent of the gdc. however i do think that the most effective design for a drivetrain will be vector drive because of the fact that you will not have a very hard time turning your wheals this year because of the lack of friction and being able to move in all directions will help keep your robot under control however vector drive is still very hard to make.

[Andrew Y.]

correct me if im wrong but my understanding is this...

surface area has NOTHING to do with friction. the coefficient of friction is the interaction between two surfaces on a molecular level. I think increasing the normal force over each wheel is the way to go....I also think i have said too much

[logicalyrandom]

I don't think vector drive will be as effective as it seems. According to the white paper on robot traction/turning, vector type drives may have problems even moving(IIRC).

[Lesman]

What is vector drive? I feel very naive asking this, but up till now I felt pretty well versed in drive train types/names.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by Lesman

What is vector drive? I feel very naive asking this, but up till now I felt pretty well versed in drive train types/names.

As a guess I believe jblay is referring to what is normally known as crab or swerve.

There is no reason this shouldn't be able to drive so logicalyrandom is likely referring to a different holonomic drive using perpendicular wheels (omnis in previous years)

[16MentalTempest]

2046 considered building a swerve drive, but the last two we've built used 4 and 6 wheel tank drives, respectively. We'll likely go with 6 since it will be easiest.

Besides, the rest of the team wants a manipulator that's...sketchy at best. No way we'll build our first swerve drive and the manipulator this year.