Research - Motion Mechanisms

Motion Mechanisms

In this section, we discuss the pros and cons between the two options we had in ming for the moving mechanism for the robot. Those being either tracks or wheels. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but only one of them was chosen for the robot.

Tracks

The main idea we collectively had as a group for the motion of the robot was to use tracks. We had originally thought that tracks would be better because it would allow the robot to be lighter than wheels and it would have more contact points, potentially giving us more friction force. This is desirable because one of the cleaning mechanisms that we are considering is a water jet. With this design, the hope is that the robot won't be pushed back by the force of the water jet. Depending on the results of our experimentation, we would either choose to go with tracks or wheels.

Wheels

One of the mechanisms we are considering for the motion of the device was the use of wheels. Wheels would offer an easier solution to the problem of maneuvering around, but they would also have less contact surface, resulting in less friction. Since one of the cleaning mechanisms that has worked best has been the water jet, we would need the robot to not move with the force of the water jet. This could be circumvented by making the robot heavier, but more research needs to be done with this concept to get more data on what weight would be better. Depending on what the results of the experiment, we would either go with wheels or tracks.