Control of an omni-directional robotic vehicle with Mecanum wheels

The authors explore three aspects of the Mecanum wheeled vehicles, the ability to maneuver in congested spaces, the kinematics of wheel design, and considerations for wheel loading and traction. It is shown how omni-directional capability greatly reduces the amount of area and time required for maneuvers, and how the Mecanum wheel in particular reduces time because of the absence of singularities. The algorithms to convert desired motions to required wheel motions do not require excessive computation even in the case where they include compensation for wheel slip detection and correction. The authors also present some novel concepts, the multiple row driven wheel and the screw type variation of the Mecanum wheel