
132 Chapter 8 • Becoming Mobile
A more radical solution is to lock the wheels together when you need to go
straight.This system is very effective, making your robot go perfectly straight, but
it requires a third motor to activate the locking system as well as some additional
gearing, which makes the solution less than compact. Figure 8.3 shows an
example of a locking mechanism that requires special parts: a dark gray 16t gear
with clutch, a transmission driving ring, and a transmission changeover catch,
which combine in a sort of clutch mechanism (Figure 8.4).That special gear has
a circular hole instead of the standard cross-shaped hole, thus it r ...