Not many other Robotica teams chose “automotive” style steering for their ots. Why did you decide to use steering front wheels and what are the advantages and disadvantages of that design?
Most ‘bots use “tank steering”, the method that military armored tanks use to change direction. In tank steering, the wheels (or treads) on one side of the vehicle are made to turn at a different speed than the wheels on the other side. This makes the vehicle move in an arc rather than a straight line. For very tight turns, the wheels on one side can be stopped or even reversed with respect to the wheels on the other side. These vehicles can turn within their own length. Advantages of this system are maneuverability in very tight quarters and great structural strength because the wheels may be very firmly mounted without the need to pivot. Disadvantages include difficulty turning smoothly and accurately when running at speed. Run Amok steers just like a car; the front wheels turn to guide its path. Because of its very short wheelbase, Run Amok can still turn very tightly. My experience in operating remote controlled vehicles with automotive style steering led me to this design. I knew
Related Questions
- Not many other Robotica teams chose "automotive" style steering for their ots. Why did you decide to use steering front wheels and what are the advantages and disadvantages of that design?
- How can air cargo carriers decide which mode of integration(vertical or horizontal) to chose?
- How do teams decide whether a childs needs fall in the "greater than 90% - 95%" range?
