The Palletrone Flying Cart Lifts Cargo for Snag-free Movement

Whether you’re at the mall or moving items around the office, you’ve probably encountered a cart with a faulty wheel. Help may soon arrive in the form of a flying cart called the Palletrone.

The concept involves placing a multi-rotor drone inside a protective cage, forming a top-loading platform that lets users move items at chest height instead of pushing them on the floor with a traditional wheeled cart.

SeoulTech Research Team Describes the Palletrone’s Innovative Control and Design

“The platform features a large, flat surface on top for easy loading, along with a rear handle similar to that of a shopping cart,” the Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) research team explains in their project paper. “A human operator controls the flight path by gripping the handle and applying three-dimensional forces and torques, ensuring stable cargo transport without any roll or pitch throughout the flight.”

The operator “controls the aircraft by applying force and torque, affecting the flight trajectory.” In other words, the user guides the movement and direction via the handrail, while the hardware and software ensure the platform stays elevated.

The user is shielded from the drone’s fast-spinning rotors, which are housed within an X-shaped frame, by a porous cage that allows enough airflow for flight with minimal performance loss.

Challenges Include Noise, Limited Load Capacity, and Short Flight Time

However, this approach has drawbacks, including the noise generated by the drone and the limited load capacity, which is currently just 2.93 kg (6.5 lb) — not enough for tasks like carrying a family’s weekly groceries or aiding warehouse operations. The short flight time due to battery limitations is also a concern.

Many of the current limitations could be resolved with further development, and a key advantage of the Palletrone is its ability to easily navigate stairs. For this iteration, the researchers used a basic flight control algorithm from previous work by some team members. The system also features actuators that continuously adjust roll and pitch, ensuring the platform remains level while accounting for forces applied by the operator.

However, the design assumes all “disturbances” come from the user, so encountering obstacles may cause issues—something the paper suggests requires more research.

Looking ahead, team member Seung Jae Lee told IEEE Spectrum that adding a camera to the platform could transform it into a flying tripod or dolly, enabling flexible camera movements in settings where specialized filming equipment is hard to access.

He also mentioned that future developments might include creating a docking system for in-flight recharging to extend operational time.

Further details on the project are available in a paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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