So AndyMark is now selling 10" Mecanum wheels but I have to wonder what they are for? At 10 pounds each a set of 4 would blow a full 1/3 of a FIRST robot’s weight budget (assuming the previous 120 lb limit) just in the wheels so I assume that very few FIRST teams will be using them unless FIRST significantly increases the robot weight limit this year. I am pretty sure AndyMark didn’t decide to make the significant investment to bring these wheels to a market that doesn’t exist so what exactly is the market? They are too big for a FIRST robot but I think they are too small for something like a commercial material handling system like the AirTrax forklifts or scissor lifts, etc. I am guessing their real market is for a new Mecanum wheelchair or something?
Personally I am having visions of a two person rideable Mecanum go-cart running around in my head.
Anyone else have a really cool idea what to do with these serious Mecanum wheels?
Golf Carts possibly, but we also have to realize there are competitions where they could be used that dont have as strict rules. Even in battlebots I believe there is a weight class that is in the 200-300lb range they could be used. Baring that, hobbyists who want to do omni directional robots for around their house could use them.
I remember AndyMark’s page saying the 10" and 21" mecanum wheels were based on customer’s demand.
I doubt he designed them for combat robots, as there are currently very few heavies and superheavies still competing. So it is unlikely the demand was theirs, not to mention that it would probably be dominated by other drives. Combat robots have a 220lb heavyweight, and 320 lb superheavyweight class for reference.
The new 10" mecanum wheels are definitely too heavy for a FIRST robot, but many more applications in industry could find these useful. Inventors around the world may now be able to use innovative wheels on their new contraptions.
I believe each wheel has been tested to upwards of 600# and that was not even at the max point. These could definitely hold a good amount of weight, distributed amongst the 4 wheels.
Our first set of 4 - 10" Mecanum wheels were sent to New Zealand. Our second shipment of 4 sets of 4 wheels are being sent out this weekend to New England.
Over the 2 years that we have sold Mecanum wheels, probably 50% of our sales went to non-FIRST applications.
These 10" wheels are definitely NOT for the FIRST playing field. They are perfect for a wheelchair application.
Ok so how about this, I hate all of those empty giant concrete block buildings everywhere that Walmart and other stores leave behind when they move a mile down the road and build a Super-Walmart or whatever. I think they are pretty much a blight on the landscape of this country. So what if we turned them all into giant bumper car amusement centers and built these really cool Mecanum bumper cars! I can’t imagine what would be more fun than whizzing around dodging the poles and other obstacles in a wide open old Walmart building. Ooooo, maybe even mount some paintball guns on the cars! That would give a whole new meaning to “Human Player”!
Can you tell it is just a few hours before Kickoff and I am loosing my mind!
