A helicopter drone that flies ahead while you run could give you motivation to exercise, stay fit, and run better.
If your jogging partner always bails on your runs, you might want to trade him in for a hovering robot. The Joggobot, a small, quad-rotor helicopter drone, flies ahead to help you run better by keeping a steady pace.
The system, developed at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, allows you to control the speed of the craft using a smartphone app. Or it can be set to fly at a specific distance in front of you as you run.
The developers, Floyd Mueller and Eberhard Gräther, tested the concept using an AR Drone made by Parrot.
The craft senses the position and speed of its human running partner by detecting a bright blue and orange pattern on your T-shirt. As you run, the craft moves ahead. When you change direction, the drone changes direction.
If the craft’s onboard camera loses track of the T-shirt pattern, it immediately lands. When it picks up the stripes again, it hovers about three feet off the ground.
The developers are still working out the details of how the drone will interact with runners. Should it be like a hovering dog, or a coach yelling at you to run faster?
When the final product is released, it could help you run better and stay fit. Best of all, it will certainly be a step up from your running partner who never shows up.
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Photo: Exertion Games Lab
