Wheel Control Theory

In the previous section you have seen the different types of wheels and their
arrangements. Once you have decided on how many and what type of wheels your robot
will have, you need to put in a plan on how to control them. Below described are few
control mechanisms to drive and steer your robot.
Differential Drive/Differential wheel: This is the most common control mechanism
for robot builders, especially for beginners. The concept is simple; Velocity difference
between two motors drive the robot in any required path and direction. Hence the name
Differential drive.

Differential wheeled robot can have two independently driven

wheels fixed on a common horizontal axis or three wheels where two independently
driven wheels and a roller ball or a castor attached to maintain equilibrium.
There are three fundamental cases
which can happen in a differential
wheeled robot:
1. If the angular velocities are
identical in terms of both values
and direction, i.e. if both the
wheels are driven at the same
speed and same direction
(either
clockwise
or
anticlockwise) then the robot
tends to spin around its vertical
axis.
This
complete
turn
capability is one of the greatest
advantages of a differentially
driven robot (a.k.a zero radius
turn).
2. If the angular velocities are
identical in terms of values and
opposite in direction, i.e. if both
the wheels are driven in the
same speed but in the opposite direction (One clockwise and other anticlockwise)
then the robot is more likely to follow a linear path, either forward or backward
based on the motors spin.
3. If the angular velocities are different in terms of values (same or different
direction), i.e. if the wheels are driven at different speeds in the same direction or
opposite direction, then the robot makes a curve motion. Lastly, if one of the
wheels rotate and the other stays still then the robot almost makes a 90 turn.
Manipulating the drive speed and direction can give some interesting drive paths.

Design, mechanical construction and control algorithm can never get any simpler than
this driving technique, and the concept can be incorporated in almost any kind of robots
including legged robots.
One of the major disadvantages of this control is that the robot does not drive as
expected. It neither drives along a straight line nor turn exactly at expected angles,
especially when we use DC motors. This is due to difference in the number of rotations of
each wheel in a given amount of time. To handle this problem, we need to add correction
factor to the motor speed. For example if you intend to drive your robot in a linear path
and feel that the robot is turning towards one side, then a correction factor can be added
to

reduce

the

speed

of

the

other

wheel.

The better option is to use dual-differential drive which can mechanically guarantee
straight line motion. In this approach, each wheel has mechanical differentials and
differentials combine the forces from shafts and drive the wheels. In other words, two
wheels are connected to two motors where one motor controls the rotation of both
wheels while the other controls the direction. Few robot builders have implemented 3L
differential drive; since is it not very popular, and the results are not in any way far
better than dual differential drive, we can happily skip that for the moment.
Skid

steering is

another

driving

mechanism

implemented

on

vehicles

with

either tracks or wheels which uses differential drive concept.

Most

common

Skid

steered

vehicles are tracked tanks and

bulldozers.
This method engages one side
of the tracks or wheels and
turning is done by generating
differential velocity at opposite
side of a vehicle as the wheels
or tracks in the vehicle are
non-steerable.
If you have understood differential drive concept, there Skid steering is no different. In
differentially driven robot, there is a castor which balances the robot and in Skid Steer
drive, the castor is replaced with two driving wheels. Suppose you need your robot to
turn left; then the right wheels or tracks are driven forward and the left wheels or tracks
are driven backward until the robot turns right. If the drive continuous in the same way,
then the robot will have a 360 turn with almost 0 radius. Suppose if there are four

wheels attached on each side, then the front and rear wheels rotate more and the center
wheels almost skid to turn. Thus the name Skid steer.
Some of the advantages of skid steer drive are:
1. They have greater traction and especially good for rough terrain
2. Same concept can be used on both tracked robots and wheeled robots
3. Since there are no explicit steering wheels, steering mechanism is not required
4. Since all wheels on each side drive in the same direction, only two motors are
enough for driving and steering the robot
5. This method does not require castor wheels and hence eliminates the problems
caused by castors
Few drawbacks of Skid steering are:
1. Since it uses skidding or slipping technique, increases wheel / track wear reducing
life
2.

Like differentially driven robots, driving in a straight path is a hard to achieve

task as both the motors are expected to drive at exactly the same speed. This
can still be taken care by other sensing devices, but adds cost and control
mechanisms.

Tricycle Drive: For robots with three wheels a tricycle

approach can be used. If you have seen a tricycle, then you
already know how to design this. Tricycle robot is designed
with a front steering wheel controlled by a motor. The two
rear wheels are attached to a common axle driven by a single
motor with two degrees of freedom (either forwards or
reverse). The disadvantage is that they cannot spin like a
differential drive robot and does not have a 90 turn due to their limited radius of
curvature. Few robots have both steer and drive controlled by the front wheel and the
rear wheels act as supporting wheels to maintain equilibrium. Due to the design
constraints and its drawbacks, this design is less appreciated by the robot building
community.

Ackermann Steering: One of the most common configurations found in cars is

Ackerman steering which mechanically coordinates the angle of two front wheels which
are fixed on a common axle used for steering and two rear wheels fixed on another axle
for driving.
The advantage in this design is increased control, better stability and
maneuverability on road, less slippage and less power consumption.
This might resemble the tricycle approach where the front wheel is
replaced with two wheels and an axle. But when two wheels are
attached to a tricycle design (axle-articulated drive), then turning
causes the robot to skid. To overcome that drawback Ackerman
steering is designed in such a way that when there is a turn, the
inner tire turns with a greater angle than the outer tire and avoids
tire slippage. This approach can be generally used for fast outdoor robots which require
excellent ground clearance and traction. Although there are disadvantages, the downside
is additional parts required; no zero radii turn and increased complexity in design.
Note: The angle mentioned in the image is just to make it easier to understand. If you
decide to use this, make your own research and calculations.
Synchronous Drive: For even surfaces, this design can be considered the best as the
navigation is very precise. It can be constructed with three, or four or any number of
wheels, but all the wheels should be in unison and turn together in the same direction
and at the same speed. More than three wheels would mean additional complexity and
hence this method is best for robots with three wheels on an even surface.
If you would like to build a robot in this design, then you can connect all the wheels by a
single belt and further to a single motor. This means the single motor decides the speed
of all three wheels. A second motor can be used to spin these connected wheels around
their

vertical

axis,

steering

them.

If you are planning to build a kitchen robot, then this approach might very well interest
you. RWIs B21 robot uses a similar approach.

Omni Directional Drive: Omni directional robots

are built using Omni wheels and/or castors. Since
Omni

wheels

have

smaller

wheels

attached

perpendicular to the circumference of another bigger

wheel, they allow wheels to move in any direction
instantly. The major advantage is that they do not
need to rotate or turn to move in any direction unlike
other designs. In other words, they are Holonomic
robots and can move in any direction without
changing the orientation.
Omni wheels are available in many different varieties
classified on their size, diameter, design, size of smaller wheels attached etc.
Omni-wheel Design: 3 Wheels vs. 4 Wheels
Generally Omni wheeled robots use either a three wheeled platform or a four wheeled
platform. Each design has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Omni Wheels 3 Wheel vs. 4 Wheel design
3-wheel design: A three wheel design offers greater traction as any reactive force is
distributed through only three points and the robot is well balanced even on uneven
terrain. This design also reduces an additional wheel compared to a 4 wheeled robot
which makes it cost effective (yes, these wheels are expensive). In few instances, I have
see that designing a three wheeled Omni robot is simpler and can drive more straight
than a four wheeled robot, although I would still vote
for a 4 wheeled robot.
Few designers add two wheels parallel to each other
and one wheel perpendicular to the two wheels which
is a better design or a compromise between three and
four
3-wheeled

wheeled
Omni

Omni-drive
robots

come

with

robots.
their

own

disadvantages. First from the design perspective,

since the wheels are spaced at 120, only one of the
wheels will be 100% efficient; In other words, there is only one driving wheel and two
free wheels which make it drive at lower speed. The next major annoyance is with the
calculation. Since none of the wheels are aligned in the same axis, it requires 3 different

calculations

for

wheels.

4-wheel design: In 4 wheel design, 4 Omni wheels are attached at 90 to each other.
This means any two wheels are parallel to each other and other two wheels
perpendicular. The first and the major benefit is the simplified calculation. Since there
are two pairs of wheels, each pair requires only one calculation and all four wheels
require only two calculations. Also at any point there are two driving wheels and two free
wheels. This makes the two driving wheels 100% efficient and drivers the robot at higher
speed

compared

to

3-wheel

design.

The only drawback which I have found is that a four-wheeled Omni robot does not
balance on irregular terrain and also not all four wheels are guaranteed to stay on the
same plane. Additional wheel might also pose an extra cost, but the advantage makes
this

seem

minor

concern.

Both 3 wheeled Omni design and 4 wheeled Omni design require at least of two motors
for minimum functionality; 3 motors and 4 motors respectively, if you require absolute
efficiency. In spite of all the drawbacks, people still prefer to make 3 wheeled robots than
4

wheeled

robots

with

Omni

wheels.

Irrespective of three, four or any number of wheels Omni-wheeled robots have few
drawbacks:
1. Omni-wheels are expensive
2. They are less efficient since not all wheels
are fully utilized for driving and controlling
the robot
3. Since Omni wheels are a combination of
many wheels / rollers into one, there is a
greater resistance to rotation which leads to
greater loss of energy; i.e. Loss due to
friction.
4. Since Omni-wheeled robot works on the principle of slippage, position control is
difficult
Articulated Drive: Similar to Ackerman Steering concept, Articulated method drives a
robot by deforming the entire chassis or frame to turn instead of just the wheels. This is
generally used for industrial robots where a four wheeled robot is split into two, the front
part and the rear part which is connected by a vertical hinge. A motor or hydraulic
system (generally) changes the angle of front part of chassis which turns the robot in a
required direction and other motor drives it. This is a complex design which requires

precise calculation of hydraulics or motors, but very useful for slow moving heavy duty
robots. In some cases, only the axle is turned which
makes it an axle-articulated drive.
Independent Drive: In this approach, each wheel is
driven and controlled explicitly. Suppose we implement
this concept on a four wheeled robot, then each of those
wheels can be driven and steered independently.The
problem with this approach is coordination between the
wheels since each wheel heads in its own direction. If
coordination fails, it results in actuator fighting affecting the entire system. But if the
coordination is achieved, then this approach is best suited for uneven and untested
terrains. Even if one of the wheels get stuck, or stops working, then the remaining
wheels can pull the robot to desired position and direction. The same concept can also be
used on legged robots where each leg works
independent of the other.

Which driving technique

to use for my robot?
If you are a beginner in robot building, it is
always good to select three to four wheels for
your robot, and differential drive as the driving technique. If you have built atleast two to
three robots, then choose between the different driving techniques depending on the
enrivonment the robot is expected to work.