Pretzel

The Collapsible Shopping Cart

Timeline: 9 weeks

We want to enable older adults to make their own nutritional choices by removing age-related barriers to food access and preparation.

This project was in collaboration with SFCS and the Warm Hearth Village retirement community for the Aging in Place competition. My team and I had a wonderful experience with this project and are proud to present Pretzel the collapsible personal shopping cart.

Pennsylvania Department of Aging Study

453 of the senior participants had their groceries delivered.
2,468 of 3,700 seniors surveyed reported that they continue to go to the grocery store.
286 seniors took advantage of curbside pickup offers.

Warm Hearth Resident Testimonies

“I prefer to shop in person that way I can see all the produce and pick out my own.”

“I always ask them [the grocers] to pack the bags lightly.”

“We go grocery shopping at least once a week.”

“Ordering our groceries is expensive, we prefer to go in person.”

Amber - 76

Amber is a retired engineer of 45 years. Her friends would describe her as an outgoing and down-to-earth individual. She lives in a retirement community townhome by herself in rural Virginia. She enjoys having people over and cooking for them. Amber has arthritis from years of working with her hands and her strength is slowly declining as she ages.
Frustrations: Doesn’t like having to lift heavy items and carry them from her car to the kitchen.
Needs: A product that can release strain on her muscles and make it easier for her to carry her bags.
Christian - 80

Christian is a retired nurse of 30 years and is considered a modest and resourceful person. He lives alone in his condo in DC and loves hosting weekly dinners with his granddaughter who visits him. He had a hip replacement 3 years ago and has a weak back as a result of his past line of work.
Frustrations: Doesn’t like needing to take multiple trips to unload his car.
Needs: A product that is compact, portable, and has ample carrying capacity

Pretzel is a personal shopping cart with the primary purpose of assisting older adults to transport their groceries to and from their cars. It is collapsible and can fit in the trunk of most cars. With Pretzel, we reduce the need to lift heavy bags and the number of trips necessary to carry groceries.

Prototyping

Our team went through many iterations of prototyping from a small-scale 3D printed version to a full-scale cardboard one. Our final version is a full-scale functioning prototype made with aluminum tubing and 3D-printed parts. We were able to test it out with our user group and got some great feedback.

Features

1 - Push handle

2 - Mesh basket

3 - Adjustable height pin

4 - Rubber bumper

5 - Snap-fit support arms

6 - Easy reach hinges

7 - 5 inch caster wheels

An important aspect of Pretzel is its collapsibility. It is designed to be compact and easily foldable. By releasing the tension on the supports and allowing them to rotate we were able to achieve this.