A working machine has a frame, a ground engaging propulsion system, a drive arrangement for providing motive power to the ground engaging propulsion system, an operator platform pivotally connected to the frame and moveable between a deployed position for supporting an operator thereon and a stowed position; and a sensor arrangement configured to sense when an external force is applied to the operator platform when said operator platform is in the deployed position. The machine prevents movement of the ground engaging propulsion system when the sensor arrangement does not sense an external force applied to the operator platform when said operator platform is in the deployed positon.

An improved hand truck having a stair navigator and brake system. The system includes a stair track, or stair navigator, having improved features allowing for the hand truck to navigate stairs more easily. The stair track is in connection with a brake, particularly a hydraulic brake system, allowing the user to stop movement of the belt of the stair climber while in use. The hand truck is an improved hand truck having an improved stair track, a brake system and a mechanism allowing for deployment and latching.

An autonomous luggage cart system and method for transportation of objects in facilities such as hotels, condos, universities, and convention centers, providing a cart having a floor, a bumper, riser pipes, and an underside housing, wheels driven by electric motors, a high-capacity battery and a battery charge manager, front and rear tow hitches and tow-hitch sensors, corner sensors, a camera-sensor package, directional sensors, RFID units, a controller unit applying machine learning and artificial-intelligence methods to sensor data, and a communications unit and a remote unit for external communications with other systems.

A walking assist device has a frame, fixed handles, rails provided with movable handles, front wheels, rear wheels and that serve as drive wheels, drive units, a battery, and a drive control unit, and travels forward or rearward together with a user that walks while grasping the fixed handles or the movable handles. The walking assist device has an operation mode switching unit that switches between a training mode, in which a load is applied to operation of the body of the user performed as the user walks, and an assist mode in which a load on operation of the body of the user performed as the user walks is alleviated.

A system for monitoring and controlling shopping cart usage comprises a wheel assembly that attaches to a shopping cart. In some embodiments the wheel assembly includes a wheel, a brake that can be activated to inhibit rotation of the wheel, a controller that controls the brake, a VLF receiver, and an RF transceiver. The RF transceiver may, for example, operate in a 2.4 GHz frequency band. In some implementations, the RF transceiver may be used to detect entry of the shopping cart into a checkout area of the store, and the VLF receiver may be used to detect that the shopping cart is exiting the store. The controller may activate the brake if the shopping cart attempts to exit the store without first passing through a checkout area.

A system for monitoring and controlling shopping cart usage comprises a wheel assembly that attaches to a shopping cart. In some embodiments the wheel assembly includes a wheel, a brake that can be activated to inhibit rotation of the wheel, a controller that controls the brake, a VLF receiver, and an RF transceiver. The RF transceiver may, for example, operate in a 2.4 GHz frequency band. In some implementations, the RF transceiver may be used to detect entry of the shopping cart into a checkout area of the store, and the VLF receiver may be used to detect that the shopping cart is exiting the store. The controller may activate the brake if the shopping cart attempts to exit the store without first passing through a checkout area.

A motorized cart retriever, which may be a cart pusher or a cart puller, can apply a force to a nest of human-propelled, wheeled carts to facilitate retrieval of the carts. The cart retriever can include a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive cart status information from cart transmitters of the wheeled carts and wirelessly report event data to a control unit. The cart status information may include an identification of the cart transmitter, a location of the cart, a lock or unlock status of a cart wheel, a misuse condition, etc. The event data can include the cart status information, a number of wheeled carts being retrieved, etc. The cart wheel may include a brake. The transceiver may communicate a message to the cart wheel to keep the brake unactuated during retrieval. The control unit may analyze the event data to detect traffic patterns of the carts.

Examples of systems and methods for locating movable objects such as carts (e.g., shopping carts) are disclosed. Such systems and methods can use dead reckoning techniques to estimate the current position of the movable object. Various techniques for improving accuracy of position estimates are disclosed, including compensation for various error sources involving the use of magnetometer and accelerometer, and using vibration analysis to derive wheel rotation rates. Also disclosed are various techniques to utilize characteristics of the operating environment in conjunction with or in lieu of dead reckoning techniques, including characteristic of environment such as ground texture, availability of signals from radio frequency (RF) transmitters including precision fix sources. Such systems and methods can be applied in both indoor and outdoor settings and in retail or warehouse settings.

A portable surgical robot includes a surgical device and a cart. The surgical device is coupled to the cart. The cart includes a chassis, a mount coupled to the chassis, a carriage pivotally coupled to the mount, and a set of wheels. The carriage includes a first bracket positioned at a first lateral end of the carriage and a second bracket positioned at a second lateral end of the carriage. A first wheel of the set of wheels is coupled to the first bracket and a second wheel of the set of wheels is coupled to the second bracket. The carriage is configured to pivot relative to the mount to prevent at least one of (i) rocking of the portable surgical robot, (ii) fluttering of the first wheel, (iii) fluttering of the second wheel, and (iv) tipping of the portable surgical robot.

A mobile storage apparatus for containers is provided. The apparatus provides a unique support assembly for holding a container. The assembly includes a latch mechanism that allows a clamp of cylinder to be moved from a closed position to an open position which creates clearance around a neck of cylinder to allow it to rotate without falling out of clamp. The other end of apparatus is structurally configured with a release plunger that can be retracted to allow rotation of cylinder along said other end. Rotatable wheels on a user side with a braking mechanism along a handle and a foot ledge allow improved maneuverability and stability.