brainstorming: Rolling tripod for Matterport 3D real-estate camera

Cliffs: Need a solution for my wife to minimize repeatedly picking up and moving tripod+camera

My wife does real estate photos, drone, and Matterport 3D scans. The Matterport is a briefcase-like black box with several cameras integrated; it builds an interactive house tour by making many scans of the house interior (the results are similar to Google street view). To make a scan, you place the Matterport on a tripod, "hide" from it in another room, and activate it remotely via iPad app. The box is motorized and will spin in place on top of the tripod to complete the scan; this takes 30-45 seconds. When the scan is done, the operator moves the tripod+camera 3-8 feet and repeats the process. The distance between scans varies based on the size and complexity of the room and its contents.

Due to a couple of shoulder/neck injuries, she's not in the best of physical shape, and even though the Matterport is only 7 lbs (plus tripod weight), at the end of a house scan she's physically exhausted from repeatedly picking it up and moving it. So, we're trying to come up with a camera support solution that's lightweight enough for her to maneuver around, probably rolls so she doesn't have to pick it up, and is sturdy enough that it doesn't shift when the Matterport rotates during its scan.

We're currently using a Manfrotto 055MF3 carbon-fiber tripod.

I'm thinking non-swivel casters on two of the tripod legs (maybe a side-plate style that can be bolted to the tripod leg?), and a widened rubber foot on the third leg - this can be tilted up to roll on two casters but when the third leg is down it'll be sturdy enough to resist the inertia of the rotating Matterport.

Any other thoughts or ideas? I do have a little bit of crafting/hacking/fabri​cation skill.

I would suggest three rotating casters (all three able to change direction) each having a brake lever to lock it's ability to roll or rotate.

One can get a tripod dolly, so that further alleviates the weight of any single item...it gets carried in separately. And when the tripod is set up it is then placed on the dolly.

One should not forget, however, that bringing in a tripod with spread legs is NOT always the easy to do!

So the idea of two legs wheeled, with the third simply footed, is a way around the issue.

SkipD wrote in post #18548826
I would suggest three rotating casters (all three able to change direction) each having a brake lever to lock it's ability to roll or rotate.

Thanks, I had thought about that. I don't know if locking/unlocking all three casters at every scan point will be desirable. (read: she'll forget, or just get lazy and not do it)

Wilt wrote in post #18548862
One can get a tripod dolly, so that further alleviates the weight of any single item...it gets carried in separately. And when the tripod is set up it is then placed on the dolly.

One should not forget, however, that bringing in a tripod with spread legs is NOT always the easy to do!

So the idea of two legs wheeled, with the third simply footed, is a way around the issue.

A wheeled dolly for two legs is an option, and maybe better than semi-permanently attaching the wheels to the legs. Also, a dolly that spans the distance between two (opened, fully extended) legs will be more structurally stable than individual wheels at the base of each leg.

If I'm careful with my design, I might be able to make it so that the wheels only contact the floor when the tripod is tilted, like a tilt-n-roll ladder:
http://www.industrialm​aintenanceplatforms.co​m …ilt-and-roll-ladder_1.jpg

But, this might not work well on on carpeted floors. And, it might be impractical/unwieldy since the legs are still hinged at the top of the tripod. I'll keep thinking on it.

How tall must the contraption be?
You say you're rather handy, so if not so very tall, it may be simple enough
to construct a smaller-diameter three-wheeled dolly with enough stability.
I'd imagine it should be simple enough to fashion a foot lever-actuated
mechanism which would plant firm supports next to two(or all) of the wheels,
lifting them slightly, for stability. Another press could put the wheels back
on the floor; roll it on, then repeat.

Just thinking out loud here...