You built a robot, and you tested your code. But you have a problem. Your robot isn’t accurate. It might be your robot that’s the issue! Let’s break this down.
Skidding:
It may not look like it right now, but your robot may be skidding. This could be because of your acceleration speed, but we all know, we need to be fast to score maximum points. First, let’s talk about why your robot might be skidding. Skidding occurs when the wheels of your robot loose contact and grip with the surface they are on.
Accelerating too fast or using a light robot causes this problem. Having a light robot can mean that your wheel isn’t pushed down onto the surface, so it doesn’t have a large enough contact area, because the entire wheel isn’t making contact. (Small wheels= also cause this issue. I also recommend using threaded wheels for extra traction.) Adding weight to your robot can stop skidding and make your robot much more accurate.
Wheel to Rim Contact:
Another issue could be that when your rim turns, your wheel isn’t turning, or vice versa. This can also be fixed by a little extra weight, making the contact between the two more prevalent, or you could also place a little glue to make sure the rim and the wheel always stay in contact. These precautions ensure that your wheel stops moving when your rim stops moving.
External Conditions:
Having a light robot can mean that external factors like bumps in the game table throw off your robot more than it would with a heavier robot. A heavier robot is harder to push around, and is harder to be effected by a external, unwanted factor. Note that a heavier robot will drain more battery, so always account for that.
To find out how to add weight to your robot without destroying your accuracy even more, check out https://theawesomeninjas.com/center-of-balance-and-why-its-important/.
If you think it might be your code that is causing accuracy issues, check out https://theawesomeninjas.com/pid-control-systems-in-robotics/ for more information how to utilize PID controllers to help your code reach its full potential.