A team of South Korean researchers has developed an invention so advanced that it looks straight out of the pages of a science fiction novel. According to NDTV, At the Seoul National University of Science and Technology, under the leadership of Professor Lee Seung-jae, a team of engineers and computer scientists created the Palletrone, a delivery drone with flexible rotors that redefines the concept of home delivery.
A revolutionary new invention has appeared: the flying shopping cart. Photo: Archive
Inspired by the simplicity of a shopping cart, this innovative device offers a new perspective on urban transportation. The drone has several small propellers and a platform on top. The platform is where you put what you want to transport, and the propellers make the drone fly and move in the direction you gently push it.
Thanks to a sophisticated algorithm, the drone can maintain its perfect balance, regardless of the weight or position of the transported objects, constantly calculating the center of mass of the load. With advanced artificial intelligence, Palletrone can learn from every flight, continuously improving its performance and adapting to different usage scenarios.
Although the drone can only carry 3 kilograms, which is not very much for big business, it has a special ability: it can change direction without tilting, as if it were a perfectly level tray in the air. This ability is perfect for carrying fragile things like cakes or vases. The scientists who created it believe it can be used in many other interesting ways besides just being a flying shopping cart. Their plans include developing autonomous “air taxis” for transporting people, as well as implementing an in-flight refueling system by changing batteries.
The carrying capacity of commercial drones is currently limited to a few hundred grams to a few kilograms. However, rapid technological developments, along with the gradual relaxation of regulations, promise a significant increase in this capacity in the future. The driving factors will be innovations in batteries, drone structure and flight control systems.
Delivery drones, such as those developed by Amazon, will soon be able to carry packages of up to 5 kilograms. These air vehicles promise ultra-fast deliveries.
Industrial drones can carry much heavier loads, between 10 and 100 kilograms, being used in various sectors such as construction and agriculture to transport materials.
Cargo Drone: Large drones designed to transport cargo can carry even more, with capacities exceeding 500kg depending on design and technology.