Combat Robotics Wheel Traction Showdown.

In this video, I test the traction of 8 different wheels across 2 different floor surfaces.
Here are the contenders:
And here are the winners:
Best Wood Traction: Slitting Saw "Wood Magnet"
Best Steel Traction: Latex On Foam
Best Overall: VEX IQ Wheels
Best last-minute upgrade: Rubber band

[@zaqwsx28]

Finally someone with proper test equipment! Cast silicone and urethane wheels.

[@TeamJunkYardDog]

Well done and we run the "Hound Wheel".I call them the Junk Yard Special. Love your testing! Thank You.

[@Dangineering]

I knew there was a reason I subscribed to you. FANTASTIC video right there. Thanks!

[@Chaos_Organized]

Thanks! I'm working on the quality, expect something resembling consistent audio in the next video coming out next week or in 4 years. not sure which.

[@Dangineering]

@@Chaos_Organized Regardless of the time, I will probably still be here waiting man. Good stuff, you answered so many questions that I financially could not answer for myself. Thanks for helping the sport!

[@LummyBear2]

This is like Project Farm for robot folks! Awesome work!

[@retawpomytrid]

Hi, I stumbled across your Hound videos a while back and was really impressed by some of the design features, and this project is also really cool!
I've been trying to find and create more data about combat robot component performance, including traction, but your load cell implementation looks much more accurate than my prototype traction testing setup (using an analog force gauge).
Did you make the load cell yourself or pull it out of something?
I'd be really interested in the grip of wheels with molded Vytaflex tread and also molded silicone sealant tread.
Another aspect that is really important but also extremely difficult to quantify is how the different tires perform after picking up dust or other debris. Perhaps you could roll a wheel through some "standard dust" before a test? Or alternatively, "prep" a wheel with isopropyl alcohol or another compound?
If you are interested, I have some Vytaflex 40A wheels and the ability to make some 30A parts to send to you to keep for testing purposes.

[@Chaos_Organized]

Was thinking of putting PLA in a blender as my standard "dust" to test but the video already felt long at 18 minutes so I did not finish that. The load cell is a cheap Amazon load cell hotwired to run at 80hz rather than 10
I would love some more wheels to test. Send me an email and we can figure something out

[@Tankbrusher]

interesting you don't have any rc wheels there. i thought these would be the no.1 resource. There is even sticky sauce for them.

[@paydaygh9388]

Hey man, don’t know if you respond to old comments. However, I was curious if you still have this setup? I would like to know how well Plasti-Dip does on top of a foam tire (it’s what I’m currently using and I really like it!)
The biggest perk of Plasti-Dip is that a thin coating of it soaks into the foam a little bit, which holds chunks of them together after smaller, direct hits to tires.
I’ve also heard of people with thick Latex strips and Rubber bands get in trouble for them falling off and entangling weapons. Your grip enhancers falling off tires sounds like a big downside to me!

[@R3nagadeL3roy]

I know they are heavier but I wanna know if skate or scooter wheels are good options

[@Chaos_Organized]

I'm doubtful as they are pretty hard, but I've got some and I'll throw them on the dyno next time. It might surprise me

[@cornmaized]

theyre a bad idea, low traction and not very durable, fun though

[@joannawade3104]

Another excellent video. You desperately need P R O M O S M!