So here's the post that will make choe's seem like shakespeare...
I was driving today and saw a kid pulling one of those rolly-backpacks...you know the ones that don't look very cool, often gets turned on its side when you go too fast, is highly annoying up stairs and makes you feel like if you carried ur books in a garbage-bag you'd be cooler. But, it's supposedly good for your shoulders...
So, how about a backpack that is a rolly one, but...tadaaa...it has a small motor and a signal receiver. So, essentially you carry in your pocket a signal generator that is unique to your backpack and your backpack will roll around behind you like a little mechanized pet. If it gets picked up and it's not within a few feet of your signal generator, it starts *barking* loudly (Thanks to Jake "Snakesaywhat" for this improvement). Finally...stairs. Here is where I need engineers, I was thinking of somehow having a claw or something that would pull it onto each stair....but obviously this part needs work.
*Thanks to choe, we may have a solution to this...a cockroach like backpack for guys...and for the girls...hmm we'll offer it in pink
Benefits:
Cool kid obviously to be so lazy to not even pull his backpack.
Won't lose it...since it follows you.
No need for lockers anymore!! Carry everything with you and when you don't need your bag, just turn on a "leash" function where until your sensor is next to it, if it's moved, it will bark. So it'll wait for you outside of classes!
Problems:
Stairs
Maneuverability
Cost
Well there's the invention of a lifetime, invest now!
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New Suggestions:
*John Seo pointed out that the problems with maneuverability in crowded places...and when you're going fast possibly.
*A big thanks to Sherwood "Camerlango" for his suggestion about tank-like treads. This would be a greeeat improvement on the legs because of the relative cheapness and feasability of this technology. The problem now is can anybody figure out how to make this an ATV (all-terrain-vehicle?) aimed at schools though. Also, he is the first international student to post!!!
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6 comments:
Wow joey, what are you talking about?! This is ingenius, a pet that's also your backpack!!
btw, I think mite have a solution for your stair dilema.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/robert_full_on_animal_movement.html
p.s. if you haven't noticed, i love this website.
can we make it bark instead of an alarm sound?
how about make it into a tank with tracks on its side?
might also be tough in crowded places like airports and subways
can't really weave in and out of people with that thing following you :P
otherwise that would be pretty awesome!
A transponder or any radio frequency communication device would be unlikely in this case. 1) Battery issues, continuous broadcasting of a frequency sucks up a lot of battery. 2) FCC license will be a pain to acquire since there might be interference with surrounding devices. 3) Systems integration, the avoidance systems is not likely to use a radio frequency system.
Instead it should use an optical tracking system. I know of one tracking system which uses one camera and a distinct image. The image will be attached to the owner’s back pocket, or anywhere in the back. The camera will recognize the image and sense the 3D rotation of the picture. Think of the picture as one face of a cube, when the owner turns the cube turns, (this is worked out by the perspective of the picture) giving the pitch and acceleration of the owner. The camera will merely mimic the change and follows the owner. Also the optic system can also be used for obstacle navigation. Once the image is lost from sight the robot is told to turn left of right, turn in a circle until it spots the image again, then realign itself with its owner. However, another obstacle avoidance system will have to be build for when the tracking image is lost. If a one camera system can work then the cost will be little, a camera could be bought for less than 10 dollars. The software once perfected, would cost nearly zero, then all we need are motors (cheap), battery (expensive), and a control unit (cheap). Also, are we going to manufacture out own book bags or modify premade book bags? Most of the stuff can be built with the knowledge and skills of the people here. The control unit is fairly simply but the biggest challenge is the obstacle avoidance, which will require a skilled software engineer.
O yea one more thing... If we can work out the avoidance system we are probably going to get rich from selling the guidance system alone. Selling book bags will be pocket change. I don't think there exists a very cost effective system that can achieve this at this moment. There are too many environmental variables to consider, to consider all the variables would mean tons of code and calculations... which means high processing power, the cost will skyrocket from there. If anyone follows the DARPA autonomous vehicle race you know that self navigation is a major challenge.
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