> Grimmund <mailto:xxxxxx@gmail.com> commented:

>     Cool idea.

Thank you. And thank you for the excellent suggestions for improvements and variations.

>     Make the handle X-shaped.  Put the drivers in the corners.

Yes, I see how that would work. Good idea.

>     The same applies to this:  Have the lifter programmed to settle and put the box
>     down every time you stop, and you can really extend battery life.

Interesting one. Of course it might settle down in mud, swamp, slime, or on the delicate
tootsies of passers-by. Small children/pets/pests/... might sneak into the bag while no-one's
looking. Etc :-) For me, something like battery life is a step too complicated (like
encumbrance rules), but I certainly take your point.

>     A low-power laser so it can follow terrain and climb stairs. Doesn't need much more than a
>     laser pointer or something similar.  Visible or not, depending.

>     It needs some way to determine elevation (height over floor, not absolute elevation.).  If I
>     take it up in an elevator, I expect it to resume flight height when the elevator stops.

Your proposal might solve the problem (which is perfectly valid). Or, if the Handle uses
absolute elevation, then when the elevator goes up, the floor is going to take the load
off the Handle, so this could be used to reset its idea of ground level. Um, I'm not sure
what happens when you want to go *down*, though :-) So some sort of active sensors would
be needed to detect height off the ground. And if the surface isn't solid earth? Hmmm.

>     Comes in various sizes, with a variety of bags and platforms that can be snap-attached.

Absolutely! I actually had in mind that it would use generic bags, rather than special ones,
but that's just me. I also have things called "hand lifters" (not further described at this
time) which might be exactly what you mention. Cf the standard connectors on current-day
shipping crates, which aren't used anywhere else.

>     Bluetooth-analog, so you can mesh several of them together for larger loads/longer run time.

Actually this is a very interesting topic all on its own. Once you get to the point where you
have Portable Power Everywhere, grav drives, and the sort of mesh control you mention, you can
do amazing things. New office building? Put it together in orbit, and fly it in. It's a high-tech
version of one of those Mammoet carriers.

xxxxxx@juno.com commented:

>     It sounds like someone modified a grav belt to be a floating shopping bag because the
>     wife/girlfriend went shopping. Some developer spotted it and the rest is history.

Could be :-)

Jonathan