Remote-controlled cars can seem pretty boring now that we have personal, semi-autonomous drones. But RC vehicles that are stuck on the ground are a lot more interesting when they can tow up to 9,000 pounds behind them — and that’s what Trailer Valet’s RVR robot is capable of doing.
The RVR, which recently started shipping, is a surprisingly compact remote-control vehicle that can attach to a trailer so that you can move, turn, and park it without hooking it up to a truck or something comparable in size. The RVR moves using a pair of treads, and Trailer Valet says it’s capable of moving over dirt and grass as well as paved roads.
Now, look, is a trailer-moving robot the most exciting robot in the world? Definitely not. But I had no idea that for $2,100 it was possible to buy a miniature tank that pulls things around for you. At that base price, you get an RVR capable of towing 3,500 pounds. For $3,400, you get a model that can handle 5,500 pounds. And for $4,100, you get an RVR capable of moving 9,000 pounds. They each have an estimated 30 minutes of battery life.
I’d also just like to take a second to highlight the middle-aged man cast in this video, who looks like he could be staring longingly at any power tool or perhaps through a window at his teenage son doing something traditionally masculine, scrunching his eyes in near-emotionless approval:
Finally, and I don’t want to get too deep into RC trailer mover conspiracies, but it seems like Trailer Valet has actually just picked up some other company’s robot and modified it a little bit. The Danish company Kronings has a nearly identical product called the Camper Trolley that’s advertised as also being able to tow boats and small planes. Given that these things weigh almost 100 pounds and can move thousands more, presumably you have a lot of flexibility on what you could move and / or destroy with these robots. So be careful.