Ce qu'il fait
MuleMate assists in daily tasks like shopping, carrying goods. With 3 wheels, it climbs stairs, tracks short distances via phone, carries 50kg within 5km. Foldable, car trunk-sized, with in-car charger for eco-friendliness, reduces plastic bag usage.
Votre source d'inspiration
I was surprised to learn that up until about 100 years ago, all individuals had various kinds of carts for transportation. On the other hand, my mother's health issues mean she has to travel by car to the local market every time, the environmental damage caused by our use of plastic bags, and the resources expended (averaging around 100,000 barrels per day in 2022) have prompted me to think about this issue. The question that arose here was: if I go shopping on foot, who will carry the items I purchase? The good news is that an autonomous cart will do all this for you and with you.
Comment ça marche
MuleMate is a rechargeable smart device with a 7000mAh battery, which can carry a load of up to 50kg (including its own weight, control panel, and cover a distance of 5km). With its three-wheeled structure, it can climb stairs. The user pairs the device using a phone app and then starts using it. MuleMate will follow you within a maximum distance of 5mt, using its built-in sonar sensors to avoid obstacles. It has three storage compartments, designed to carry three basic items like fruit, packaged items, and other. It tracks you with the phone's accelerometer and will wait nearby for you to place items. You can monitor its capacity with a weight sensor. When the battery is low, you can carry it manually. With dimensions of 120cm width and 80cm height, it's the same size as the average car's boot. It can fit on any vehicle. You can charge it in your car or at home. I got lots of great ideas from people over 50, and lots of other people gave us feedback too.
Processus de conception
MuleMate is basically an embedded IoT system robot. It uses data from its sensors to navigate indoors and out, using SLAM strategies. It connects to the user's phone via Bluetooth, using the phone's accelerometer data to track the user's direction and movement. MuleMate has four sonar sensors and a weight sensor, which calculate distance and battery status based on weight capacity. The sonar sensors are for avoiding obstacles. We've done a lot of research into different types of shopping carts. For instance, having three wheels on each side is better for going up and down stairs. We've also looked at the dimensions, foldable features and storage compartments of shopping carts in great detail. The idea behind this product is to provide an environmentally friendly assistant for users to carry loads like shopping, making it practical. MuleMate's great for storing in the car boot and at home, it's easy to fold and climb stairs, and it's suitable for young and adult users. Its foldable nature, storage capacity for an average shopping trip, and independent usage without specific instructions are key to meeting these requirements. The acceptance of a technology today is proven not by its use by the youth but by older individuals, and the MuleMate concept addresses this.
En quoi est-il différent ?
This design is not really around at the moment. But in terms of technology, it can be compared to luggage that follows you, electric motorised strollers, scooters and some autonomous delivery robots. There are two main groups of shopping carts: individual and corporate. The individual ones are usually made from cloth for pulling and the corporate ones are made from metal. MuleMate is an innovative product that goes beyond these two types of shopping carts. Rather than being a cart you carry and leave somewhere, it's a 'mate' that travels with you. Compared to its technological counterparts, it's better at climbing stairs, carrying more, being easy to use indoors and out, and being user-friendly. It also helps reduce the use of plastic bags and cars, which is great for the environment.
Plans pour l'avenir
I haven't had a chance to prototype MuleMate yet due to financial constraints. I'm planning to make prototypes and develop a mobile app using Flutter to test it. During this time, I'll run tests to spot potential problems and make sure the product's development is on track. Then I plan to release the initial version and closely monitor user feedback. In today's market, a product's quality is determined not before but after sales. I plan to add a camera, AI and object recognition technology to create shopping lists from household items, and improve autonomy by detecting weight, price, and dimensions for shopping stock management.
Récompenses
This is the first time I'm presenting this project to you, seeking your valuable feedback.
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