As I transitioned into my sophomore year of college, I found myself in search of a project to reinforce the skills I learned leading Robotics Club and competing in FIRST Robotics Competitions during high school. I wanted to fully design and construct a teleoperated device on my own for the first time which included the electronic systems I typically left to other hands. On top of the challenge of implementing electronics on my own for the first time, I wanted to construct the most powerful machine I had ever built in terms of load capacity. My goal was to be able to use my creation to move anything I could ever hope to move.

And so, I set out to create my personal Standardized Load Mover! For the sake of budget and practicality, I designed the whole thing around a pallet I got for free from an order of mulch. The idea was that everything is already moved around on pallets, so what if one just moved? Of course, as with most of my projects, I wanted to put a fun spin on it. As Covid-19 restrictions lessened, I and many other students were transitioning from taking classes in bed to taking them in school buildings. As a comment on that, I chose a twin bed (I couldn't fit any larger in my dorm) to be the first cargo my device would move!

So I spent about a month at the end of the summer researching, talking with peers, designing, and constructing the SLM+Bed. The result was first and foremost a better understanding of and confidence with mechatronics, but also a fun device/vehicle that fully satisfied all of my goals!

Technical Specs:
Battery Life: 5+ miles (I never managed to fully drain it)

Load Capacity: 1000+ lbs (It moved 6 college guys without stalling)

Speed: 9 mph (unloaded) 6 mph (with 6 college guys on it)
Controller Range: 0.5+ miles