The Mecanum Wheel Is So Weird, It Is Genius. How It Works

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(this will update in a few days to @jeremy_fielding)
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The Dr Who video you didn't watch LOL

Notes:

Technical corrections

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[johnschoeller]

Jeremy you are a true mentor to this 70-year-old gear head with a basic electronics back round. Blessings to you and your family.

[josephgutierrez]

Dude is so chill and nonchalant but he's also a freaking beast when it comes to engineering. He under plays the stuff he's made but that shit is ridiculously complex.

[LucasClemente]

"What is this going to do?" Answer: "Nothing. It's just cool." This guy gets it. Well done.

[Bashere]

Another application that you may have not been aware of, conveyance. I work at the airport laoding containers onto aircraft. The loaders we use utilize mecanum wheels to move containers onto/off of the aircraft. The deck is coverd in these wheels and can move containers in any direction as well as rotate them.

[davidpretorius]

When I saw these on the Mythbusters forklifts, I thought each subwheel was powered... The fact that the subwheels spin freely make this even more awesome. Thank you

[hectorbetancourt]

Your love for engineering is contagious, never change!

[EngineeringMindset]

Thanks Jeremy, that was pretty damn interesting. I watched 4:17 at 0.25% speed to really see what was happening,

[bjohnjunior]

Jeremy, your content and production is still fresh and professional but the reason I love watching your videos is your child-like joy and enthusiasm that you bring along for the ride. Here's to many more years of teaching and tinkering!
From an (almost) 65 year old life-long learner.

[blazegbs]

About 10 years ago, I had my students (cc) design & build a mecanum wheelchair that was controlled by an Arduino, joystick and solar PV panel for recharging the batteries. We demonstrated it to @60 middle schools around S.E. Michigan and a Maker show at Henry Ford Greenfield Village. It was a HUGE success! It was also bulit from recycled materials, except the mecanum wheels & Arduino.

[nkronert]

Mecanum wheels absolutely have a huge cool factor. But you might also want to consider omniwheels, which are similar in concept, or wheel mountings that are 360 degrees rotatable around the vertical axis.

[jordansmithb]

I am reminded of my high school biology and chemistry teacher, Marino Gino Dalessi, Jr. Totally adored by his students. We started our study of biology by reading…Aristotle. I am reminded because there’s this sense not of transmitting just laws and principles, but of loving what you’re learning. Papa Gino, as we called him, did that, and though my predilections have gone in different directions, the fundamental principle that he taught, and which is evident in Prof. Fielding is: don’t just learn…fall in love with what you’re learning. I’m a folklorist and an editor, and that’s cool enough: but in honor of Papa Gino (and yeah, we were aware of the musical pun: but we didn’t “parrot” him), I read Quanta every week. Thank you, Jeremy for reminding me of Gino. Thank you, Gino, for alerting me to Jeremy. Made. My. Day.

[the_untitled__]

During Highschool I was a part of a robotics competition program called FIRST Tech Challenge. Mecanum wheels have been the go to drive train for robots for several years now, they have some limitations but they are incredibly versatile. This was an amazing explanation, although Ive been using them for years I never understand quite as well as this.

[ultrasupernectar]

I used to drive a forklift about 30 years ago and long story short- this video is awesome and I love this channel

[elitearbor]

I'll tell you, that line about seeing that kind of wheel in person and immediately thinking of MJ performing? Same, the exact same thought came to me the first time I saw one in operation in a warehouse. That was a forklift, too.

[KazeKitsune]

There’s one lady here! I love your content. You make these topics approachable and show so much passion and enthusiasm! Love it! An I wondered how these wheels worked….

[GhostBus]

I've seen these wheels on forklifts before, thanks for explaining the science, I finally understand!

[matthewbartos]

As someone who was in FIRST robotics I always thought these were so cool, we mainly used them in material centering applications not locomotion. What FIRST used for locomotion was what we called "swerve drive", I think that could be a really cool video going into the deep dive of "swerve drive" in real world applications. I also think you would maybe find it as a fun drive train for your bot because it has both precision and maneuverability.

[deanallenjones]

I was compering a steampunk event a few weeks ago. One event is teapot racing around an assault course. Most of the racing teapots are radio control cars with a teapot body. One guy showed up with a chasis with Mecanum wheels. Manoeuvrability is key with the event, and tank tread teapots tend to win. We were expecting great things, but the floor of the assault course was a 200 year old factory floor with dents, divots and dings. The moment one of the wheels didn't have solid ground under it then the teapot went flying. So yes, dman cool, awesome in a control environment, but not much good off road or in any out door situation

[KwanLowe]

Thanks! "So satisfying to watch..." is very apt.

[deanp]

Your enthusiasm is contagious and the way you explain principles makes things so much easier to understand. Thanks for making your videos. Well done!