Troy High School

Students from Troy High School used a drylin® slide table on their one-of-a-kind invention—a remote-controlled tree climber—as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program, a national grants initiative that fosters inventiveness among high school students. The linear slide table is used for the linear travel of the motor and wheel assembly.

The students built the climber because many communities have relied on the coconut tree, also known as the “tree of life”, for centuries. Traditionally, coconut harvesters climb 100-foot palm trees and retrieve nuts by cutting them down with large knives or machetes. To make the task easier, the students designed their machine so harvesters can quickly and easily scale the trunks of various palm trees. With the linear slide table, the tree climber can accommodate varying tree diameters. It also serves as a stiff and accurate platform for the assembly. With other devices, climbers with little experience can scale five to 10 trees a day, but with the students’ invention, they can climb more than 40. The linear slide table is also dirt-, dust- and corrosion-resistant so it won’t fail in the tough outdoor environment.