best motors for a robotic platform.

[maddox10]

Hydraulic drive setups have advantages, but serious disadvantages too.

Main advantages are huge torque and compact, and very good control if done well.
Main disadvantages, efficiency is low, you'll need huge batteries compared to what a direct electric drive would need. Proportional valves are expensive (like £400 a piece), and controling them will need serious electronics making the "cross over" between "conventional hydraulics and "custom electronics".

500 kg at walking speed doesn't need that much power in the end. About 1 kw. Unless we're talking ramps and such. then it goes up very fast. With the setup I talked about, you'll have at 24V 7.2Kw available. The motors can take that for while.
Batteries on the other hand.... How long do you want it "available"? 1 hour? 8 hours (working day) or more?

[cnc_machinist_andy]

hey fella you may want to look into golf club trolleys, they have already been invented whereby you push a button on a gadget and the trolley comes to you.