omniwheels

Omniwheels, also known as Swedish wheels or Mecanum wheels, are a type of wheel designed to allow a vehicle to move in any direction. They achieve this by incorporating a series of rollers mounted around the circumference of the wheel, typically at a 45-degree angle. These rollers are free to rotate and are positioned to interface with the ground.

When a standard wheel is driven, it propels the vehicle forward or backward. An omniwheel, however, can also be driven to move sideways. This is because the rollers on the omniwheel provide a contact point with the ground that is perpendicular to the direction of the wheel's axis of rotation. By controlling the speed and direction of multiple omniwheels on a vehicle, complex movements, including strafing, diagonal travel, and rotation in place, become possible.

The control system for a vehicle equipped with omniwheels typically involves multiple motors, each driving one wheel. Sophisticated algorithms are then used to calculate the required speed and direction for each motor to achieve the desired overall motion of the vehicle. This makes omniwheels particularly useful in applications where maneuverability is critical, such as in robotics, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and certain specialized transport systems. The design of omniwheels can vary, with different numbers of rollers and configurations of their mounting.