Omni-Directional Robots

Abstract

All the robots introduced in Chapter 8, with the exception of syncro-drive vehicles, have the same deficiency: they cannot drive in all possible directions. For this reason, these robots are called ``non-holonomic''. In contrast, a ``holonomic'' or omni-directional robot is capable of driving in any direction. Most non-holonomic robots cannot drive in a direction perpendicular to their driven wheels. For example, a differential drive robot can drive forward/backward, in a curve, or turn on the spot, but it cannot drive sideways. The omni-directional robots introduced in this chapter, however, are capable of driving in any direction in a 2D plane.