Using a Rotacaster Wheel as a, ehm, Caster

The Rotacaster wheels are not only great for making holonomic robotic platforms but also for the more mundane robotics models such as the one pictured above.  This is a simple construction meant to illustrate the idea. The advantage of using a wheel like this over a standard caster wheel is that this can take a lot more weight without losing any of its omnidirectional turning properties.  If you’ve build a few robots with casters I’m sure you’ve noticed that as your robot got heavier, the more reluctant your caster wheel became to follow the same direction as the robot.  Another really big advantage is that you don’t need any additional clearance for the caster wheel swing arm to rotate about the vertical axle; there isn’t one. This caster also won’t swing weirdly and in a jerky motion when you reverse your robot.

Looks like a winner to me!