RoboNav, formerly referred to as IGVC, is taking its drivetrain in a bold new (omni) direction. A typical IGVC robot in RoboJackets has two powered wheels and a caster to drive the robot through the course, but this year RoboNav is designing a swerve drive system. The main difference between a swerve drive and a more typical differential drive is that all the wheels are on individually powered casters, enabling the robot to change direction in place by simply rotating its wheel axles to match the desired direction. The team believes this will take them in a new direction that enables better maneuverability and offer a compelling challenge for the mechanical subteam that few teams in the IGVC space seek to solve.
