Design and Fabrication of a Portable App-controlled Mobile Robot for Towing Vehicles

Abstract

With vehicular traffic on the rise and a significant increase in the frequency of breakdowns, comes the need for more efficient and timely towing assistance. The global towing market exceeded USD 7 billion in the year 2021, and, according to forecasts, will hit USD 20 billion by 2030. It is crucial to ensure that vehicles experiencing breakdown are towed away to safety, to reduce chances of accidents and prevent collisions with other vehicles that use the same roads. However, commercial towing services remain prone to human error, delays in arrival, and cost their customers significantly. The aim of this paper is to present the ProTow Bot, a smartphone-controlled portable vehicle tow, which can be operated by vehicle owners with ease. This is a compact and lightweight tank-style robot designed to lift and push forward consumer automobiles, in accordance with the owner’s directions issued via a phone app. This paper details the relevant traction calculations, mechanical and electrical design, programming, assembly, and testing of the ProTow Bot. Applications for the bot include individual ownership, support for supply chain companies relying on road transport, airplane movers, and warehouse inventory management.