Not going to lie, but I am a bit of a smartphone case addict when it comes to unique cases. Some times I tread around the internet looking for some out-of-the-box smartphone cases much like Selfy’s $109 drone case or the GameBoy iPhone case. However, recently I came across a special case that broke all the limits of unique and went straight into the bizarre category. A smartphone case that can carry your device to around whenever you set it down on a desk! Well, that’s a first for me.
Researchers at the Seoul National University’s Biorobotics Laboratory recently built a smartphone case that comes with a set of robotic legs. These legs enable the case to carry your smartphone from one point to another one automatically.
The researchers at the Biorobotics Laboratory put an existing crawling robot inside a prototype smartphone case to create the “CaseCrawler”. Although the case looks quite slim, it adds around 16mm of additional length to the bottom of the device. This 16mm space houses the motor that powers the robotic legs at the back of the case.
Now, if you’re wondering how much payload it can carry, then stop. While the average weight of current smartphones ranges from 150 to 200 grams, the “CaseCrawler” can carry up to 300 grams, which is three-times its own weight. That is pretty impressive.
Check out the video below to check out the prototype “CaseCrawler”.
Now, as I mentioned before, the “CaseCrawler” is just a prototype. Moreover, there are no additional sensors on the case to give the robotic legs any relevant data. Thus, the crawling case can only go in one direction with its retractable legs.
These special retractable robotic legs have a specific bend to form a knee-like structure. This design of the legs enables them to grip a surface and pull to move forward.
Now, if the “CaseCrawler” goes into mass production someday, the researchers believe that they can make it more comprehensive, although fitting a motor inside a thin 16mm housing is also not bad at all.
However, if this case becomes a reality, there will be an array of possible applications and automatically crawling to a wireless charger is just one of them.
Just imagine this, you are in a park and suddenly realize that you don’t have your precious smartphone on you. So, at this time, what if you could just whistle or say a trigger word and watch your smartphone come running back to you like a lost puppy? How would you feel about that? Let us know down in the comments section.
