One-Of-A-Kind Shopping Cart

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

22 Dec 2006 12:00 PM

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a... flying shopping cart? Not exactly. But, it could be once the kinks are worked out. And once it takes flight we'll have two University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee engineering graduates to thank for the jet-propelled shopping cart invention.

Andy Kraft of Milwaukee and Erik Hopfensperger of Appleton just graduated from college (both were awarded bachelor's degrees on Sunday), but they are already making names for themselves. All it took was a little ingenuity... and a lot of work to create their one-of-a-king shopping cart complete with a motor from a rechargeable drill, a homemade combustion chamber, propane tank, and an on-board fire extinguisher - from spare parts donated by local industries. To get the pressure building in the homemade combustion unit, they start the machine with a leaf blower. Once that's done the cart can zoom along at about 10-15 miles per hour.

The students' say their cart was designed as part of a course they took that required applying properties, such as thermodynamics, kinematics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and electric circuitry. They say the concept of the technology they used is exactly the same as the jet engines used for passenger aircrafts. Basically, the shopping cart is a miniature jet engine. What's more, the students' professor says, "it is a wonderful application of using high-level technology on a small scale."

Kraft and Hopfensperger used parts such as a turbocharger, oil-cooling devices and a power steering pump, not to mention---a lot of trial and error. Most of which came during their 3 a.m. test drives in university parking lots. The students say even at that hour their demonstrations attracted crowds, including campus police.

A drivable shopping cart... it sounds great especially if you have a ton of Christmas shopping to complete. The only problem: loaded down with all its components and the gas grill propane tank, the cart doesn't have too much room left for purchases. Kraft and Hopfensperger admit that is one of the many details they could probably improve if they had another semester to work on it.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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Valorie Delp (49340) 22 Dec 2006 02:38 PM

Not necessarily. . .maybe that's the genius of the invention. No room for purchases. . .but I could stick my kids on it. . .let them fly around. . .and I could get hte shopping done in peace!?

Michele Cheplic (37451) 23 Dec 2006 05:05 AM

WOW Valorie! Your comments are the best. Great angle to go with--you are so right. Who needs magic umbrellas to fly when you got a shopping cart (much safer) :) Thanks!