Mr_tentacle writes – “Omniteuthis is a 3-wheeled test platform with holonomic drive – omniwheels at the the corners allow it to move directly in any direction. A Robot Logic OMX-3 omni-mixer and an inexpensive rate gyro work together to make it more-or less driveable using a 2-stick heli radio… Omniteuthis features 3 omniwheels mounted at the vertices of an equilateral triangle. A Robot Logic OMX-3 omniwheel mixer and a GWS Gyro work in concert to provide the necessary control. I can move the ROV in any direction, without having to turn to “face” in that direction.” – Link & video.
14 thoughts on “Omniteuthis – Amazing robot with a holonomic drive”
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Too bad the third, back wheel will be dragging over the ground. A good solution for this might be a small (swiveling?) wheel that pops up near that third wheel when the other two are powered. It ads to the complicateness of the thing, but would improve effeciency and lower the noise and wear.
Likewise, the two wheels that are moving are fighting each other somewhat, which will reduce efficiency. This thing is very clever though, and fun to watch.
An excellent robot, well done. Not to detract from your work, but a robot that works exactly like this has been available for years at http://www.acroname.com/robotics/info/PPRK/overview.html
It was developed by one of my professors at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, Illah Nourbakhsh, who also created the CMUCam vision system. He also has 3 sony IR distance sensors on it that allow it to follow walls and such using a palm pilot for processing.
*maremare – to address your issue about the rear wheel dragging, because it is an omniwheel the little white cylinders on the green wheels spin orthogonal to the main axle, which means when it’s being driver straight with the front two wheels, the rear wheel is not dragging but gliding on its ‘rollers’. It’s actually a rather efficient design, at least on the small scale.
Thanks SwarmMaster — I stand corrected (I think). The wheels are described on Omniwheel’s site.
You can also purchase (off the shelf) an omnidirectional forklift, aerial lift, and/or ground support equipment from a company called Airtrax. http://www.airtrax.com/ Check out the videos on their website. It looks like WAY fun to drive one of these puppies.
Disclaimer: I am an investor in Airtrax.
That’s a nifty remote controlled car you’ve created. When you give it a simple brain, then it’s a robot.
Nice design. I am working on a larger version using NPC motors and AndyMark Omni wheels. How is the gyro connected? Is it used to keep the robot from drifting off course or keep the body from rotating?