Palletrone flying cart lifts cargo off the ground for snag-free operation

Whether at the shopping mall or tasked with moving stuff around the office, you've likely had to deal with a cart with a wonky wheel at some point. Help could be on the way in the shape of a flying cart named the Palletrone.

The idea essentially puts a multi-rotor drone inside a cage to create a top-loading platform that allows users to push stuff around at chest height rather than over the floor with a wheeled cart.

"The platform is designed with a spacious upper flat surface for easy cargo loading, complemented by a rear-mounted handle reminiscent of a shopping cart," the research team at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) state in the introduction to a paper on the project. "Flight trajectory control is achieved by a human operator gripping the handle and applying three-dimensional forces and torques while maintaining a stable cargo transport with zero roll and pitch attitude throughout the flight."

The operator "manipulates the aircraft by exerting force and torque, influencing the flight trajectory" – in other words, the user controls forward momentum and direction using the hand rail while the hardware and software keep the platform floating above the ground.

The user is protected from the X-framed drone's fast-spinning rotors by a porous box surround that allows enough airflow for drone flight, with only minimal performance loss.

Of course, one downside of this approach is the noise generated by the drone. Another is the relatively low load capacity of the current setup, which comes in at 2.93 kg (6.5 lb) – that's not going to be enough to haul a family's weekly shop in mid-air, or help warehouse workers efficiently move stuff around. Then there's the limited flight time afforded by onboard batteries to consider.

However, much of that could be solved with a little more tinkering, and one major tick in the plus column is the ability to easily tackle stairs using the Palletrone. For the current iteration the researchers made use of a basic flight control algorithm from previous research by some members of the team. The system also employs actuators to constantly adjust roll and pitch – not only keeping the platform on the level during operation but also taking forces applied to the setup by the human user into account.

The design assumes that all "disturbances applied to the system" come from the operator though, so any obstacles encountered along the way might cause problems – the paper calls for further research into this area.

As for future applications of the technology beyond logistics or grocery store settings, team member Seung Jae Lee told IEEE Spectrum that "by attaching a camera to the platform, it could serve as a flying tripod or even act as a dolly, allowing for flexible camera movements and angles. This would be particularly useful in environments where specialized filming equipment is difficult to procure."

He also suggested that next steps might include developing a docking system that would allow for in-flight recharging, for extended operation.

Details of the project can be found in a paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

Source: SeoulTech via IEEE Spectrum