Hi, my name is Sam, and I’m the inventor of the SlideAcart. I’m a mechanical engineer with qualifications in Safety and Ergonomics. I created this invention because I injured my back 25 years ago.
We wouldn’t be talking about the SlideAcart today if it weren’t for that injury. It was a terrible experience. The worst pain anyone can endure is back pain.
It happened while I was shopping at a popular supermarket that had recently introduced a “no bag” policy unless you paid for them. Picture a fully loaded trolley being unloaded into a Holden Kingswood, a common Australian car at the time. I was a big, macho guy, lifting every item one or two at a time into the car boot. Toward the end, I picked up a couple of bottles of wine, twisted from the trolley into the car, and that was it. That twisting motion was enough to put me in bed.
I was bedridden for two solid weeks and could barely move. Even going to the toilet or showering required enormous courage. Slowly, over the following months, I recovered. But during those two weeks stuck in bed, I started thinking about how inconvenient shopping had become. I was sick of buying bags, bags and more bags. I had had enough and thought there had to be an easier way of shopping. That’s when the idea came to me, a sliding basket that could go straight into the boot of a car.
Many years later, I developed the first prototype. From that timber model, which you can see in the photo, we now have the SlideAcart being sold around the world. It took years of development to design it so that it was small enough to fit in a compact shipping carton, strong yet lightweight, adaptable to different types of cars, and able to go on a travelator, all while remaining affordable.
There were so many design considerations. How do you accommodate all these different types of cars? How do you make the trolley travel smoothly on a travelator? How do you get the right height? How do you make it strong, lightweight, and affordable? It is no wonder no one had thought of it before. It is just too hard.
Somebody had to do it because too many people struggle with the burden of shopping. Too many people struggle with the weight of bags. Too many people do not want to buy bags. Too many people are worried about contamination. Trolleys are an easy way to spread viruses and bacteria. It is well known that many people do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and some leave rubbish in the basket. And what about all the trolleys left on the streets?
The SlideAcart solves many of these problems and more. As we get older, moving things around is not as easy as it used to be. Bending down to lift is difficult enough, and carrying something heavy from one end of the house to the other is exhausting without some type of trolley.
By removing the slide, it works as a simple trolley. With the slide in place, it transforms into a portable, height-adjustable table, allowing items to be moved at a convenient height. Younger people with busy lifestyles benefit too. Anything that saves time at the shops is a plus. You can take the shopping and basket home without worrying about returning a trolley or finding a coin. The SlideAcart is the right size to fit in any elevator, making it perfect for apartment living.
I can honestly say that the SlideAcart has helped me. If I do not take it shopping, I do not feel safe. Its uses extend throughout the home. You can use it for storage, hang washing on the sides, carry laundry to the clothesline, or even use it for business purposes.
We are committed to making improvements in future models, making shopping, storage, and handling as simple as possible. I hope this gives you some background on the SlideAcart, which started as an idea and a timber model and has now become an all-steel, modular, high-quality, lifelong piece of handling and shopping equipment.
Thank you.
