Armytec 3D tests the 35 kg Trekkady hybrid load carrier prototype

French inventor Guillaume Guist’hau and the industrial consortium Armytec 3D have launched tests of working prototypes of the Trekkady, a hybrid load carrier designed to carry up to 35 kg across rough terrain, reports Actu.fr. The system bridges backpack ergonomics and wheeled mobility, aiming to relieve physical strain during transport tasks actu.frActu.fractu.frOpen source ↗.

Mechanism and transition

The Trekkady combines attributes of a backpack frame and a wheelbarrow into a single assembly. It incorporates an all-terrain self-balanced single wheel and a rotating harness, allowing the carrier to handle heavy payloads over uneven surfaces. According to Guist’hau, the structural layout lets an operator transition from backpack carrying mode to rolling mode in under five seconds without placing the load on the ground actu.frActu.fractu.frOpen source ↗.

Initial development began more than 20 years ago through DIY iterative builds using repurposed household hardware, including children's scooters. Guist’hau tested successive prototypes on foot across 350 km in Iceland and 250 km in the Pyrenees before securing intellectual property guidance from the regional innovation support organization Transtech.

Industrialization and evaluation

In 2025, Guist’hau completed an invention patent assignment agreement with Armytec 3D, an industrial interest group based in Charleville-Mézières that integrates metalworking, machining, sheet metal, and logistics specialists. Under the terms of the transfer, the inventor remains involved in design while the consortium leads industrial preparation actu.frActu.fractu.frOpen source ↗.

Civil entities including rescue services such as the Ardennes firefighters and electrical utility grid operator Enedis are currently evaluating functional prototypes for handling heavy gear in difficult environments actu.frActu.fractu.frOpen source ↗. Armytec 3D holds the commercialization rights with a milestone set for late 2027; if no purchase orders are fulfilled by that point, the patent returns to the inventor, who plans eventual consumer production for hikers and workers prone to musculoskeletal disorders actu.frActu.fractu.frOpen source ↗.