Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!microsoft!wingnut!petesk
From: petesk@microsoft.com (Pete Skelly)
Subject: Re: Tracked mobile robot dead-reckoning
Message-ID: <1993Jan29.194918.15793@microsoft.com>
Date: 29 Jan 93 19:49:18 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.
Keywords: mobile robots
References: <1993Jan28.190105.116@microsoft.com> <d2bohre.728047517@dtek.chalmers.se> 
Lines: 16

In article <1993Jan28.190105.116@microsoft.com> jony@microsoft.com wrote:
> Possible silly hack: Why not drag / tow/ push something resembling a pc mouse? You could read
> all slippage as movement in whatever direction and correct for it. Most mice get pretty gummed
> up with particles but something along these lines but a bit more robust might work.
> JonY@microsoft.com

Not So Silly.

I did something very similar to this in a robot I built a number of
years back.  I used one of the Track-Balls taken from one of those old
football video games as the front wheel of my robot.  It was extreamly
sturdy, as it would have to be with drunk football fans pounding on it
all day in various sports bars.  It also used a 4-5 inch ball, which gave
better obstacle clearance than one of todays mice would give.  

petesk@microsoft.com
