hand truck mode with handle attached
Keith Rowell Design

From all the input we've gathered, it's obvious that transporting the robot from one place to another is of primary concern. The large 10" wheels would allow it to move over moderate obstacles, even low curbs (not withstanding castor wheel size). Ultimately it has to get stuffed into trunks, and get moved around before and after the presentations, in the most user friendly manner possible. After looking into a folding design that would fit into a tunk, the fold out castor bracket and wheels presented themselves for double duty. Upright it's a castor for the robot, upside down, its a bracket for holding stuff "hand truck" style.

Thanks to Mike's keen insight, the "outrigger handtruck wheels" idea provides easy portability to and from venues.

My original thought was to use the main wheels for both robot locomotion and free wheeling transport. But the gear boxes are impossible to move from the wheel end. I thought about cotter pin locks and electric clutches, but I think bypassing the problem entirely with "extra wheels" is going to work best.