pic: Unique drive concept

[K.Porter]

Wow! you just designed what 172 imagined and prototyped earlier this season (but got nowhere with...)
Early in the design stage, we were experimenting with drive train ideas. What we ended up with were independent drive sections that could pivot to climb ramps, but we thought, what if we went further than that: what if the independent drive sections could turn independently as well, much like the front yoke on a toy wagon.

We coined this type of swerve drive as "Little Red Wagon Drive" and basically mulled it over in the background while this year's robot was built. We even got as far as building a Vex prototype (although it isn't documented as far as I know of, and it has probably been disassembled by now)

The main difference between Little Red Wagon drive and your design is the placement of the pivot. Instead of having the turntable on the middle, it would be located in the front of the robot, with casters (or omnis) supporting the back. The pivoting drive section in front would simply pull the rest of the robot along, much like, well, a wagon (or almost like a front wheel drive automobile)

If I can find any pictures of our vex prototype, I will be sure to post them. I'm sure everyone at 172 would be happy to see our pet design project actually get somewhere, even if it is designed and built by a team elsewhere!