The Metal Robot: What Went Wrong

Robot Version 2

This robot was unable to turn because it turned out that our motors were grossly underpowered, and did not have enough torque to move the tires laterally. We tried doubling the voltage supplied to the motors. When this didn't work, we decided to add a third pivoting wheel in the back instead of the two rear wheels, much as the Lego version uses.


Side View	Front View

Rear Pivot Wheel

This version of the robot was able to turn, but a number of other problems arose. The wheel we chose for our rear pivot wheel was too heavy, so the front wheels were unable to get enough traction to effectively steer the robot and straighten the rear wheel. Steering was erratic and the robot had a hard time driving in a straight line.

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