So my team and I were discussing ideas for our drivetrain for our ITZ robot. One member of our team wants to do a holonomic drive. I think they look cool, but since I lack any actual competition experience (first year); I am wondering if in competitions holonomic drives actually perform any better than tank drives? We have one programmed already, and it works good in testing, but I’ve heard they are pushed around easily in competitions. Any opinions?
Usually, holonomic drives are good, however they have very little torque. Because of this, it is unlikely that it can get over the bar to get to the 10 and 20 point zones. Most teams this year are using a tank drive.
Note: I don’t have any personal experience with holonomic drives, just info from what I have read
As far as x drives go my opinion is that they are great for speed/agility (obviously sacrificing torque). But exceptionally inconsistent. Slight differences in friction, weight distribution, motor response etc makes repeatable behavior almost impossible without using sensors extensively. Rotational sensors are only marginally affective due to constant slippage inherent in drive mechanism.
Based on my personal experience using x-drives and holonomic drives, I would not use them for In the Zone. They are good for moving around it different directions, but like @reflxshn said, they are very inconsistent and they can be hard to operate at times. I would stick with tank drives as they are more reliable and easier to control.