Rotacaster Omni-Wheels Are Lego-Compatible

[DLuders]

On this MOCPages site , the manufacturer of the Australian "Rotocaster Omni-Wheels" is willing to send AFOLs a set of wheels for free if you can create a video of them on your Lego robot MOC. MOCPages is running pretty slow right now (due to an upgrade in progress throughout the month of July), so I'm reprinting the entire article here (for speed's sake):

Rotacaster omni-wheels are an Australian made and owned, patented design. Also known as omni-directional wheels, multi-directional wheels or holomonic wheels, Rotacaster omni-wheels are available in both a 125mm wheel diameter and a 48mm wheel diameter.

As you are most probably aware, I've been working towards having a version of the Rotacaster Omni-wheel available for your Lego Mindstorms kit. With many thanks to Mr. Peter McKinnon, Managing Director of Rotacaster, the company is tooling up to make a run of some 200 wheels which will fit straght on a standard Lego Technic Axle. On the Lego version of the Double Rotacaster 48mm Omni-wheel, the red rollers will be coated with rubber (TPE) to allow for excellent grip on all surfaces. Mr. McKinnen will be in the US from the 19th to the 30th, and depending on timing may bring some of the prototypes back with him for distribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-cdzgLQhc&feature=player_embedded

As part of this development phase of the Lego Compatible Rotacaster, Mr. Peter McKinnon is very keen to get some early Photographs and Video of completed robots in action using the Rotacator Omni-wheels. He is happy to provide wheels free of charge to select individuals who can do so in a relatively short time-frame. If you think you can come up with a winning design which uses Rotacasters, then please contact Rotacaster with your proposal via their Website's Contact Form. Some early concept photograph/video would be advantageous to have ready by the 30 July 2010.

Xander Soldatt's Lego Omni-wheel Example Vehicle:

Sparra McNamara's Omni-Wheeled Bot video: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/213373 .

[Aldous11]

Thanks for you information i newly join and so nice post I agree with you. Your complement is so informative…

[DLuders]

Today, Sparramc posted a YouTube video that features 4 of the Rotacaster Omniwheels on his "Lego NXT Flexibot". He wrote,

"The Shape-Changing Rotacaster Flex-Bot is acts like a Chameleon, but instead of changing colour, it can morphs into a variety of different configurations. The front and rear pairs of arms are controlled in pairs change the configuration the Rotacaster Omni-wheels relative to the Robots body. Each Rotacaster Omni-wheel is driven individually via a Small Lego Power Functions Motor. The Arm pairs are driven individually by a pair of Lego Mindstorms NXT Servo Motors.

"The home position for the arms is controlled via a set of 4x Lego Mindstorms RCX type Touch Sensors before the position of the NXT Servo Motors is set. The Power Function Motors are controlled via a Hitechnic Infra-red Link Sensor and 2x Lego Power Function Infra-red receivers. The Robot is controlled via a Sony PlayStation2 Controller interfaced to a Mindsensor PSP-Nx-v3: Sony PlayStation2 Controller interface for the NXT.

"Full project detail and source code are available at: http://www.rjmcnamara.com/.

"I've been working with GM of Rotacaster Australia, Mr. Per McKinnon to develop Rotacaster Omni-wheels for Robotics Platforms. Initially for the Lego Mindstorms Platform as it's what I use.

"It all began when I simply enquired via the Rotacaster website to if they had considered making there omni-wheels available to the Robotics world. Too my amazement, within 24hrs I had the Rotacaster GM saying that had not considered that market and asked if I would be interested in going along the development journey to make it happen. Of coarse I said yes.

"Having used the other available Omni-wheels on the market, the Rotacaster is a superior product in all aspects. These Omni-wheels are simply a beautiful work of Engineering (ART). The Rotacaster are the only Omni-wheel I'm aware of that will track in a "Killough Platform" like theory suggests, resulting with virtually nil slippage on all household hard floors surface. The "Durometer Type Rollers" in the Omni-wheel exceeded all my expectations by a long way after trying those offered from other manufactures! The "Durometer Type Rollers" work like a sticky compound race tyre on a high performance race vehicle.

"Many thanks to Mr. Peter McKinnon from Rotacaster for having faith in me to take on the challenges involved with developing what is an Industrial Rotacaster Omni-wheel, into a product suitable for use with Lego Mindstorms & Technics Robots.

"The Actual cost of the Lego-Rotacaster Omn-wheels and date of availability is yet to be released. The standard non-Lego R-2048-01 Double 48mm individual Wheel Price is AUD $13.75(including GST). Around USD $12.00 each.

"Rotacaster (www.rotacaster.com.au) hope to make Omni-wheels for use with other Robotics platforms in the future. Contact Rotacaster with you Robotic Platform Details. Mr. Per McKinnon and the Rotacaster staff are great to deal with and their enthusiasm for this project has amazed me with Peter flying from his base here in Australia to the U.S.A. to oversee the development and tooling up.

"Rotacaster Wheel Limited

Phone: AUS +61 2 4925 2200 USA +1 312 212 3950

Address: P.O. BOX 866, The Junction, NSW, Australia. 2291

Website: www.rotacaster.com.au ."

[DLuders]

There are more pictures and videos of Lego MOCs made with the Rotacaster Omni-Wheels on http://forums.nxtasy.org/index.php?showtopic=5914 .

[DLuders]

Per this Robotics Realm article, the Rotacaster Omni-Wheel "is now available from http://www.rotacaster.com.au/robot-wheels.html . Cost is $21.45 for (one)."

[DLuders]

[bUMP]

Xander reports on his Bot Bench website that "Rotacaster wheels now available from HiTechnic"

"HiTechnic have started selling the Rotacaster wheels now as well. That’s great news for people who live State-side. Now you won’t have to worry about US customs intercepting your nice wheels and using them for something themselves.

"HiTechnic is selling them in packs of two and you can get right here: [LINK].

They plan to have cool models up on their Models page soon, so make sure you keep an eye on there! If you don’t want to wait and you have a set of 4 of those wheels already, I can heartily recommend you make the IR RC Kart with them, it’s a serious drift-fest. I made one ages ago and it’s always a big hit at the LEGO events, kids (young ones and adult ones) love playing with it."

[timslegos]

Those wheels are pretty awesome, however, i dont think ic an afford them. $40 for only 2 wheels is a lot of money. .

tim

[Burf2000]

Thats great news that hiTechnic are selling them

[DLuders]

[bUMP]

On MOCpages, Sparra McNamara posted this Lego Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck. He wrote,

"I've been working on building my contribution to the May 2012, NXTLog Competition. Part of my project needs a method to transport models of the large open top pallet type bins used to transport vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages and pumpkins. I decided on a 'Line Following Forklift Truck' to do the job.

"The LEGO® Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck shown above is compact, and quick and easy to build. You will need quite a number of extra LEGO® Technic Parts, in order to build it. At the end of the On-line Forklift Instructions on my Blog is the complete parts list. I suggest you head to BrickLink to purchase the extra parts.

"The Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck uses two NXT Motors to dive the Left and right front wheels. The Rear Wheels in the CAD Drawing of the forklift show above in red, are actually Rotacaster Omni-wheels. [NOTE: You can order these from HiTechnic here.] With the Rotacaster Omni-wheels fitted, the Forklift has a very small turning circle. In fact it can turn in it's own length.

"The third NXT Motor drives the 2x Black Technic, Liftarms Thick (32348), which raise and lower the Forklift's Yellow Forks shown at the front. At the end of the 2x Black Technic, Liftarms is the Latching Mechanism that grips hold of the Vegetable Bin, stopping it sliding off the forks during transportation.

"For Full Project Details, Visit http://www.rjmcnamara.com/2012/05/nxt-forklift-truck/ ."

View Instructions [with complete parts list at the end]: Forklift

Download [Lego Digital Designer (LDD) .lxf Building] Instructions: Forklift Truck

Edited May 19, 2012 by DLuders