Kinect and wheeled versions under development

Let's Make Robots
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We were pointed out that tracked version might have problems on thick carpet or wet tiles. That is why we want to try the wheeled version and compare the performance on different surfaces. Any thoughts whether it will drive better then tracked version? Some pros/cons of wheels vs. tracks?

shark_mars_edition_20130127a.png

“Shark” with wheels (3D-rendered model under development).

In addition we are thinking about adding Kinect sensor. It is rather big and it is not 100% clear yet what is the best way to do it. We can try to mount it on the existing “Shark” model or modify the alternative model.

alternative-kinect.png

Alternative body with Kinect mounted on it.

shark-kinect.png

Wheeled “Shark” with Kinnect mounted on it.

 

Any comments on it are very welcome. For more details about the whole project, please visit our web-site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS2G6HVFccc
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Was this 3D model created in

Was this 3D model created in Blender? Or just imported? If you used Blender to create it, is it very hard to use Blender for parametric modeling compared to something like Solidworks or Sketchup? 

I’m asking because I tried out Blender one time, but found it difficult to use because my mind is use to creating 3D models the way a CAD model requires it.