Does this project need a physical prototype?

No — the core deliverable is the SolidWorks CAD model and motion simulation validating the climbing mechanism. A physical working model is an optional extension for students who want to take it further.

How does the tri-wheel mechanism actually climb a step?

Each wheel position is a cluster of three sub-wheels around a central hub. At a stair edge, the whole cluster rotates as a unit, lifting the next sub-wheel up onto the tread above, cycling through the cluster to climb one step at a time.

Is this a suitable BTech ME final year project?

Yes — SolidWorks-based mechanism design and motion simulation is a standard, well-regarded ME final year project format, and this mechanism gives a genuinely interesting kinematics problem to model.

Solidworks Design & Simulation of Staircase Climbing Trolley

Standard trolleys roll well on flat ground, but carrying any real load up or down a flight of stairs by trolley is currently very difficult and often hazardous — most designs simply can't climb a step edge.

This is a design and simulation project: a trolley built around a tri-wheel (or "star-wheel") mechanism — three or more sub-wheels mounted around a central rotating hub at each axle position — modeled fully in SolidWorks. On flat ground, one sub-wheel of each cluster contacts the floor and the trolley rolls normally; at a stair edge, the whole cluster rotates around its hub, stepping the next sub-wheel up onto the tread above. SolidWorks motion simulation is used to validate the climbing cycle, load stability, and clearances before any physical fabrication.

How It Works

Each wheel position uses a cluster of three (or more) sub-wheels mounted at equal angles around a central rotating hub, rather than a single wheel on a fixed axle.
On flat ground, only one sub-wheel per cluster touches down at a time, so the trolley rolls exactly like a normal one.
At a stair edge, the cluster rotates around its central hub as a unit, lifting the next sub-wheel up and over onto the next tread — cycling through each sub-wheel in sequence to climb one step at a time.
The full assembly — frame, wheel clusters, hub joints — is modeled in SolidWorks, and a motion study simulates the climbing cycle to check for part interference, load distribution across the cluster, and stability margins before fabrication is even considered.

Components

SolidWorks CAD assembly (frame, wheel clusters, hub joints)
Tri-wheel/star-wheel cluster design (3+ sub-wheels per axle)
Central hub/axle assembly
SolidWorks Motion Study (climbing cycle simulation)
Optional prototype extension: DC gear motor per cluster + motor driver + battery

Applications

Material handling on stairs where no lift is available
Accessibility equipment concept design
Luggage/delivery trolleys in multi-level buildings

Advantages

SolidWorks simulation catches design flaws (interference, instability) before any fabrication cost is spent
Tri/star-wheel design is mechanically simpler than powered-leg or track-based stair climbers
Rolls normally on flat ground — no separate flat-ground and stair-climbing modes needed

Note on This Project

This is a CAD design and simulation project centered on SolidWorks — the core deliverable is the modeled assembly and motion study, not embedded code. Students who want to extend it into a working powered prototype can add a small DC gear motor per wheel cluster with a basic motor driver for a physical demonstration model.

Related Research

Mechanical Design and Development of Tri-Star Wheel System for Stair Climbing Robot — ResearchGate

Hours

Monday - Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: Not Working

Location

2nd Floor, Comptron Arcade, Kallattumukku,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695012

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Solidworks Design & Simulation of Staircase Climbing Trolley