This week’s selection is the practical eSherpa electrically driven trolley by Switzerland-based Ralf Naumann.
This model is actually a kit of a couple dozen 3D printed parts combined with electronics and miscellaneous other hardware that combine to create the “eSherpa”, described by Naumann as a:
3D printed electric offroad device – strong enough to carry my 25kg tandem paraglider equipment uphill but compact enough to fly down again.
Indeed, it works! Check out the video of the eSherpa in action:
We must caution that this is a bit of a project. You’ll need to not only 3D print a couple dozen parts, but you’ll also need to spend around USD$500 on miscellaneous other hardware and electronic components, all of which must be correctly assembled into a working eSherpa.
The eSherpa contains a small electric engine that helps push the heavy load on the trolley forward, or more particularly, uphill.
Projects such as the eSherpa remind us that the benefit of 3D printing is not simply printing completed objects, or even parts that fit together. The most significant benefits are found when 3D printed components are combined with other hardware and specifically electronics to create powerful, practical and perhaps even smart objects.
