| The pathfinder or six wheeled monster came about when I was thinking of how to effectively use 3 motors to drive and steer. This machine does just that. The two outboard motors are linked to the three wheels on their respective sides. The two sides are tied together using a differential between them, which is linked to the third center motor. To drive forward or reverse, the machine simply runs all three motors forward or reverse respectively. To turn to one side, that sides motor is shut off. To pirouette (spin one side forward and one side in reverse) the third center motor is set to brake and the other two motors turn in different directions. This design has excellent power but lacks maneuverability due to its imense length. A four wheeled model of the same sort would probably work really well. This machine also features independent spring suspension on all six wheels and two antenna feelers up front to detect walls and such using two touch sensors. |
