Israeli reinvents unicycle for futuristic delivery scheme
Student designs one-wheeled drones that use GPS and face recognition software to transfer goods from place to place
Robots designed by an Israeli student may take over the world in the near future, or at least the world of package deliveries.
The robotic delivery service, dubbed the Transwheel concept, was envisioned by Kobi Shikar, an engineering and design student at Shenkar School of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan.
The one-wheeled drones, which would operate using a similar balancing system to the Segway, use GPS to navigate their way around, as well as facial recognition software to identify recipients, according to the Daily Mail.
“The Transwheel concept reimagines package distribution as a round-the-clock autonomous service carried out by robotic single-wheel drones that work independently and together to ensure timely, efficient delivery,” Shikar told the British tabloid.
“Each wheel features a self-balancing gyroscopic system, electric arms, and GPS-driven communication capability.”
The robots, still only in the conceptual phase, would be able to configure themselves into packs for larger or odd-shaped deliveries.
“Smaller parcels can be handled by a single robot while larger packages will be tag-teamed by an appropriate number of robots that self-configure to the package’s unique dimensions,” Shikar said.
Shikar is currently looking for industry partners to help him develop the robots and turn them from a mere concept to reality.
