“Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.” -Dwight Eisenhower
For this to be successful, ensure you are smart about it. Develop what you think to be a solid all around drivetrain, but make it highly adaptable to whatever changes might be made.
So basically, what should happen assuming you have done the research, is a simple, robust 6-8WD system that will serve you well with a few simple modifications 95% of the time. Don’t write this option off as too easy, I once made that mistake. Optimizing a 6-8WD is a very tough and entertaining challenge that I am sure could keep my engineering department at work pretty busy for a couple weeks.
My team agreed to do a simple skid steer in 2009, and we did. It worked well, but because we decided to do a wide robot base, it was a lot better than the original design would have been for Lunacy. If you are really enthused about an adaptable design, you could create an iAssembly in inventor that changes drastically to reflect different parameters you choose on creation (I have yet to try this, so I don’t know how hard it is).
Daniel is pretty sharp! I don’t think that he is contradicting the rules. Especially since he posted that great explanation of my claim that to use off season design work you must post it.
He may be saying that to select a design concept prior to knowing the configuration that best suits the game is unwise.
Two other things;
Design and concept are often used as if they are interchangeable.
I emphasize to my team that a concept is an idea maybe with some drawings.
A design is a set of documents that include: Key Performance Parameters, Drawings, a parts list, a budget and a timeline to finished product. Optimally this would also include calculations but this gets skipped more often than not.
You may call it what you like but being clear in your own mind when you have a design or merely a concept can be useful.
I am a big fan of 6 wheel skid steer But!.. That has been done.
After dabbling in a copy of the AM 8" mecanums this year, I am eager to see more advanced drive platforms. Steering and suspension would be a great advance for many teams. Portland Jesuit came up with a really simple design for steering using a swivel on a Toughbox and steering with a globe.
Both front and back wheel sets could steer. That gave the team good steering and a limited ability to skew. This sort of simple but functional design is exciting because only a few teams have tried it and there is lots of room for innovation.
I would love to visit Wisconsin but Salt Lake is looking really cool and is closer.
Want to meet in the middle?