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The focus of the EV3 pages on this site is programming, not designing or building different models. Having said that, it's fun to try to conceive models for different purposes, and this page shows some of my efforts. The point is that there can be no perfect EV3 vehicle that is ideal for every situation. For moving through a maze, a narrow model is needed. For moving over sloping surfaces, a low centre of gravity is needed so the model does not topple. For precisely following a complex path, widely spaced wheels are ideal to give more precise turns etc etc.
Models like the RileyRover tend to have a high centre of gravity, which means the model is not as stable as it could be. I set myself the challenge of making neat models with a low centre of gravity, and here are the results.
The low riders above all achieve the low centre of mass by putting the brick next to the motors rather than above them. That forces the wheels further apart, making the model wider. That in turn makes them poor choices for maze-running, for example. There is of course, no 'one size fits all' robot solution for all possible situations. I tried to make some models that are as narrow as a front-wheel drive EV3 vehicle can be, and these are the result.
Low and Narrow, the WARD ROV3R!
Then I tried to make a model that is both narrow and not tall, by inclining the motor assemblies slightly. I challenge you to find a model that is both narrower and less tall than the WARD ROV3R!
TRIK3R is something different. Most Lego vehicles wheeled vehicles use 'wheelchair steering' which steers by turning two wheels at different rates, with neither wheel actually steerable. TRIK3R uses steering more like of a normal car or tricycle, with a (double) driven wheel at the front which is actually steered by a second motor mounted high above the brick. It may look odd, but it's the only way I could arrange for the motor to directly drive the vertical steering axis, thereby avoiding the need to use a gear mechanism. My design allows the wheel to be steered through a full 180° and I've done all I can to make the steering axis as rigid as possible. This steering technique does not require a castor or fancy wheel at the back, just two simple wheels.
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