Is this good for educators?

Yes — this version of "Differential Drive for a manipulator" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.

For Educators · Differential Drive

Differential Drive for a manipulator

Built for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs. Simulate a manipulator live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Differential Drive RobotLive

wheel speeds → path

Controls

Presets

Left wheel speed

Right wheel speed

Speed1×

A differential-drive robot steers by spinning its two wheels at different speeds — like a tank. Equal speeds go straight, a difference curves the path, and opposite speeds spin in place. Its forward speed is the average of the wheels and its turn rate is their difference over the wheelbase.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Forward v2.50

Turn rate ω0.030

Turn radius83

Governing equation

v = \frac{v _{r} + v _{l}}{2} = 2.50, ω = \frac{v _{r} - v _{l}}{L} = 0.030

Reading this result: The faster right wheel pushes the robot into an arc that curves toward the slower left side, with radius set by how close the two speeds are.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for educators?: Yes — this version of "Differential Drive for a manipulator" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.