Mecanum or Swerve?

[thefro526]

I thought a bit more on this Subject last night, and came to the realization that Swerve Drives are going to become more and more common in FRC. One of the biggest issues with Swerve Drives is that they're difficult to design and manufacture, and many teams could spend a whole build season doing this and not get it right. But, now that two types of swerve module are available as COTS items these two issues are almost non-existent, or no more so prevalent than in a Mecanum or Holonomic Drive.

If a team were to use the Commercially Available Team 221 Swerve Modules, then they'd really only have to build a frame in which to house them, and a system to steer them. From there, it's pretty much just a control issue, and I bet most teams could figure out how to get them working relatively easily. We've already seen a handful of teams use the Team 221 "Wildswerve" modules with some degree of success (11, 20, 234) and I've yet to hear of any failures.

The only downfall to using an off the shelf Swerve Solution like the Team 221 Modules is cost. A set of 4 Swerve Modules will set you back about $1k, whereas a set of Mecanum Wheels and 4 Transmissions should run you in the ball park of $700 or so. IMO, the cost premium is worth it, especially if you're a team that plans on using an Omni-Directional Drive to it's fullest potential.

Strangely enough, all of this thinking is leading me towards possibly pursuing a swerve drive for the 2011 season, should the game call for it, and I was always one of those "Why not just use a skid steer" kind of guys.

In conclusion, building a reliable and effective swerve drive, seems to be getting easier by the year.
(Sorry for the long post, I had a lot of thoughts to get out.)