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Lino Lakes man invents flying 'Poopcopter'
A Lino Lakes man has created what he believes is the world's first aerial bound dog poop removal system called the "Poopcopter". FOX 9's Maury Glover has the full story.
LINO LAKES, Minn. (FOX 9) - As the owner of a corgi named Twinkie, Caleb Olson is familiar with an age-old problem.
So he found a solution that makes sure his ingenuity doesn't go to waste.
What is the invention?
"Everyone's got a dog. Everyone's got this problem. So it felt like a big problem that felt worth my time to try addressing," said Olson.
Olson has created what he believes is the world's first aerial bound dog poop removal system called the "Poopcopter".
He says the drone can remotely scan for dog poop in a specific area like a backyard or open field and when it detects a mess in real-time, it can swoop down and scoop it up.
"With the Poopcopter, the idea was end to end, no touching poop," said Olson.
Olson says his invention lands on its target, which is fake poop in this case, then rotates 30 degrees, which closes the bottom of the contraption before flying off.
He says the drone could then drop its cargo at a dedicated location like a box or maybe a van that is servicing several yards in the neighborhood.
"Otherwise, it could fly over your neighbor's house, spin it fast enough and since there's no motors, it's on a track. So it slides open with just rotation and the rotational force flings it open and you could sky dump is the idea," said Olson.
Olson says it took him a year to research and design his invention, which he built using a 3D printer.
As for the name?
"I went through a bunch of names. Doodoo Drone. My dad came up with Feces Flinger 5000. Poopcopter I thought was the perfect blend of it," said Olson.
Olson believes, with modifications, his creation could be used for other tasks like picking up litter or garbage.
What's next?
But for now, he believes the sky's the limit for his patent-pending prototype.
"It'd be cool to see it go any direction, to be honest. It's just something that I've kind of cooked up in my basement, and it actually has like real world value," said Olson.