In my senior year of high school I took an engineering project course. This course tasked me to find a problem, research potential solutions, and come up with a potential solution.
I chose to solve the lack of a personal ski lift system for consumers as it allowed me to work on my love of skiing through an engineering project. I started out by researching what an average small ski hill looked like. I then surveyed students at my school to learn more about the average skier. I then used this data to set some goals for my design about the slopes it had to work on and the loads it would endure.
Once research was complete I moved onto conceptual design. I first looked at what components make up small ski lifts and surface tows. I then came up with a set of potential candidates including solution which were handheld, anchor to tress or were self propelled. I eventually landed on a small cart design that could be rolled up to the base of the hill.
To create a functional model I used 3D printed parts as well as a small DC motor and battery pack. I used wood, and fake grass to create an artificial mountain to present the design on. The model consist of a PLA shell that ride on 3printed TPU (Rubber) wheels giving the model realistic grip capabilities. The scaled down motor connects to a gear reduction then onto the output wheel which spins the model rope. This design conveys my solution to a personal ski lift system.
Hayden Albert 