Coco Climber

Coconut trees are a featured landscape element in many tropical regions. They tower over smaller buildings, but wherever they are, they provide that tropical feeling to any landscape. What most people don't see though, is how they are cared for. In most instances, a crane-truck is called in, with the usual bucket an boom setup used in working on overhead utilities. In many instances, these trucks do more damage than maintenance, as for taller trees, larger trucks have to be called in. These large trucks have to drive onto landscaped grass, sometimes leaving large indentations that need to be filled in and grassed over. With this undesired result, A new invention came to mind. It's a robot that climbs a coconut tree, secures itself to the top, and when it feels secure enough, it pulls the operator up using a rope pulley system. The robot looks like a very thick blanket, albeit thick and hard, that wraps around the trunk of the tree. It has treaded tracks on the underside, and with the help of internal pneumatics, grabs onto the tree, allowing for a quick but harmless (to the tree) ascent. The operator, still on the ground, hooks himself up to a harness, which is attached to the device by a rope on a pulley. Once the operator is pulled up to the top, he works on the tree. He cuts leaves that otherwise would clutter the tree, eliminating living conditions for pests such as centipedes, rats and mice. He also cuts off bunches of coconuts which are a hazard to anyone walking under the trees. Once he is done with the tree, he is lowered back down by rope to the ground. Only when he is safely disconnected from the robot, the robot unsecures itself, and makes a quick descent from the tree. The operator then guides it to the next tree that needs trimming.