Robotics Drive
Systems
By DEREK Murphy
Chief Evangelist
Studica.
Topics
Importance
Basics
Drive Types
Resources
Traction
Mobility
Importance
The best drive train…
is more important than anything else on the robot
meets your strategy goals
can be built with your resources
rarely needs maintenance
can be fixed within 4 minutes
is more important than anything else on the robot
Basics
Know your resources
Decide before you begin:
› Speed, power, shifting, mobility
Use most powerful motors on drivetrain
Don’t drive ½ of your robot… WEIGH IT DOWN!
Break it early
Give software team TIME to work
Give drivers TIME to drive
Drive Types: 2 wheel drive
Driven
Wheel
Motor(s) Motor(s)
+ Easy to design
+ Easy to build
+ Light weight
+ Inexpensive
+ Agile
Free
- Not much power Wheel
- Will not do well on ramps
- Less able to hold position
Drive Types:
4 wheel drive, 2 gear motors
Driven
Wheels
Motor(s) Motor(s)
Chain
or belt
+ Easy to design
+ Easy to build
+ Inexpensive
+ Powerful
+ Sturdy and stable
Driven
- Not agile Wheels
-Turning is difficult
-Adjustments needed
Drive Types:
4 wheel drive, 4 gear motor
Driven
Wheels
Motor(s) Motor(s)
+ Easy to design
+ Easy to build
+ Powerful
+ Sturdy and stable
+ Many options
Mecanum, traction
- Heavy
Driven
- Costly
Wheels
Motor(s) Motor(s)
Drive Types:
6 wheel drive, 2 Gear Motors
+ Easy to design
+ Easy to build
+ Powerful
+ Stable
+ Agile*
*2 ways to be agile
This is the GOLD
Gearbox Gearbox
A) Lower contact STANDARD in FRC
point on center - Heavy **
wheel + simple
- Expensive **
B) Omni wheels on + easy
front or back or ** - depending on
+ fast and powerful
both wheel type + agile
Drive Types:
N wheel drive, 2 Gear Motors
+ Powerful
+ Stable
+ Agile*
Sole benefit: Ability to go over
Gearbox Gearbox things
- HEAVY *2 ways to be agile
- EXPENSIVE
A) Lower contact point on
center wheel
B) Omni wheels on front or back
or both
Drive Types:
Tank tread drive, 2 gear motors
Gearbox Gearbox
+ Powerful
+ VERY Stable
- NOT AGILE
- HEAVY Sole benefit: Ability to go
- Inefficient over things
- EXPENSIVE
- Hard to maintain For turning, lower the contact
point on center of track
wheel
Will NOT push more than a well-
controlled 6wd
Drive Types: 3 wheel
Various types
Lightweight
Gearbox Gearbox
Fast
Non-standard
› (design intensive)
Drive Types: Omni-directional
Omni-directional wheels are
unique as they are able to roll
freely in two directions. It can ether
roll like a normal wheel or roll
laterally using the wheels along its
circumference. Omni-direction
wheels allow a robot to convert
from a non-holonomic to a
holonomic robot.
Drive Types: omni directional
holonomic wheels
4 wheel drive or 3 wheel drive
+ Simple Mechanics
+ Immediate Turning
+ Simple Control – 4 wheel
independent
- No brake
- Minimal pushing power
- Jittery ride, unless w/ dualies
- Incline difficulty
Drive Types: Mecanum
+ Simple mechanisms
+ Immediate turn
+ Simple control – 4 wheel independent drive
- Minimal brake
- OK pushing power
- Needs a suspension
- Difficulty on inclines
Mecanum wheel Robot,
WSR 2015 Brasil
Traction
Static vs Dynamic (10% lower)
› If you slip you loose position,
› Design encoders into your system
› Dynamic breaking & traction control
Pushing force = Weight * µ
› µ = friction coefficient
Normal
Force
Pushing (weight)
Force
Static friction coefficients
µ = 0.1 = caster (free spinning)
µ = 0.3 = hard plastic
µ = 0.8 = smooth rubber, 80A durometer
µ = 1.0 = sticky rubber, 70A durometer
µ = 1.1 = conveyor treads
More on Traction
You can determine µ
Material w/ µ
mass Fpull
Fweight
µ = Fpull / Fweight
Mobility
Move +/- 1 foot in any direction in under 1 second
Generally speaking, the more mobile your robot is, the
less it can resist a push
More mobile less mobile
Center of gravity (Cg)
Robot mass is represented at one point
Mobility increases when Cg is low and centered
High parts = light weight
Low parts = heavy (within reason
Battery
Mobile
motors
Battery motors Tippy
