So, I’m curious, is anyone at Detroit this year using swerve?
Our team thought about trying it several years ago, but our cadd student wouldn’t share his drawings… go figure. lol
I’d love to see it, and how they implement it if anyone was there.
Mike
Many teams, but a key one to check out is 2767.
Or if you can’t find 2767 because random pits, 1720. We’re like a vintage 2767 swerve from a year ago.
In NE team 467 didn’t do swerve drive this year, for the first time I can recall. They ranked their highest at NEDCMP of any other year that they qualified.
I can’t speak as to why they dropped swerve, but they were certainly more competitive this year than any other year I’ve noticed.
I found 32 teams that were using a swerve drive this year. Of those, 11 teams have made it to Champs:
Am I missing any other teams which may have qualified during Week 7?
4256 Cyborg Cats, i think they’re Houston.
Add 2067 (Detroit) to that list. They qualified at NE DCMP.
2771 (Detroit) I believe
1640 (detroit)
Add 323 to that list, they use a custom swerve as well. Sadly, they did not qualify for champs.
If you are interesting I have been in charge of the design of swerve on 2067 for 2 years and will be giving a presentation on it on Wednesday. Also feel free to stop by our pits and check out our modules.
Updated list of swerve drive teams that are going to champs:
Quite an interesting lot!
I won’t miss you presentation for sure!
Will you give out samples??? :rolleyes: 
:yikes: LOL
Can’t speak for 2220, but can speak for 2169. In 2014 we tried to make a swerve drive robot with purchased swerve modules. To put it nicely, the modules were not ideal. They were heavy, they ran horizontal chain (which was problematic to say the least), there weren’t any good places to mount encoders, they conducted lots of static and killed tons of encoders, etc. Using purchased modules was an issue. If you’re going to build a swerve drive, make custom modules.
However, creating custom swerve modules is rather difficult. If you want to do it in a Build Season, machining capabilities are a must. Our fatal flaw: we have zero CNC/Machining capabilities. Over the summer we attempted to make a set of swerve modules using our bandsaw and drill press, and we found it to be possible, but incredibly time consuming and difficult. Besides, unless you have lots of experience with Swerve, and have a driver who is heavily experienced in swerve drives, if you take the resources you would put into a swerve drive into your mechanisms, and put that all on a sturdy WCD, you’ll probably be better off.
Here is the list of teams that I know have competed or developed a swerve drive at some point in time but have dropped or shelved the technology. I have added, in parenthesis, whether the team will be at Champs this year:
Suggested changes, deletions and additions welcomed.
Just a note: 111 is HOF and even though they didn’t qualify through their regionals they will still be joining us at Detroit.
For the first time since 2007, MORT will not be attending a championship event. RIP
Noted!
In PNW 3024 has used swerve in the past but did not this year.