Checkers may have made trips to the grocery store almost superfluous but there are occasions when you need to speak to actual humans. And, you know, push a cart. If only there was a better way. There might be, and it’s called Palletrone.
Palletrone, the creation of a team of Seoul National University of Science and Technology researchers, might one day revolutionise the humble shopping cart. It’s like a regular food conveyance except that it doesn’t ever touch the ground. There’s no possible way this could go wrong.
Palletrone flying high
If it’s not obvious from the name, which is a portmanteau of ‘pallet’ and ‘drone’, this little cargo carrier swaps out slightly dodgy wheels for a not-at-all suspect drone system. The point, according to the researchers behind the gizmo, is to easily move items from one place to another without worrying about what the terrain underfoot is like.
Which, when you think about it, makes perfect sense. The Palletrone has been demonstrated, carrying a small load on its flying platform and pushed along by a single person using a shopping cart-like push-bar. The drone does most of the work to remain level even if the person packing the platform attempts to unbalance the load.
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Human interaction is used to define the drone’s height and horizontal movement, with an algorithm differentiating between the weight of cargo and people repositioning it. But don’t expect to see it in your local shopping centre just yet. Right now the weight limit for the prototype is about three kilograms. Aside from that, there’s also the issue of flight time. Drones last anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour. If you take your time getting your goods, there’s the possibility that it won’t make it to the cashier either.
Still, it’s an excellent concept. It could be used to transport fragile (and therefore light) items or medical supplies while the researchers wait for the technological developments that would allow for heavier flying loads speeding through the average shopping centre. Like we said, there’s no possible way this could go wrong.
