US Patent 10988032 Self-propelled personal transportation device

The present disclosure includes a transportation apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a surface to receive a plurality of forces at a plurality of locations thereon; a plurality of force sensors, attached to the surface, to provide information related to the plurality of forces; a plurality of wheels beneath the surface, each of the plurality of wheels being coupled with a motor; and a controller to: determine, based on the provided information, a first plurality of forces at the plurality of locations; determine, based on the first plurality of forces, a reference distribution associated with the plurality of locations; determine, based on the provided information, a second plurality of forces; determine a target speed and a target direction of the apparatus based on the reference distribution and the second plurality of forces; and provide one or more signals to the motors based on the target speed and the target direction.