"New-Mattic" Vacuum Transport System [Glueless]

Hi Insructabrarians,
 
Are you too hot and tired to move that cereal from your downstairs kitchen to your upstairs bedroom and wish there was an easier way?  Wish you had a faster method to transport your keys across your house?  Are you that lazy? I know I am!

Last month at Instructables Laboratories we held our monthly Build Day and I was looking for a fairly simple project to do after the Maker Faire. So, as part of one of our in house Home Décor contests, I decided to build my own domestic version Pneumatic Transport System.

Note: Special Thanks goes out to frenzy for helping me tape my final test video, Mikeasaurus for helping me create my main image, and Randofo for pushing me to build a large scale one for the office :)

Also, for anyone wondering about the title, my name is Matthew.

Step 1 Concept Law and Inspiration

For those of you who don’t know, a pneumatic transport system is an industrial system in which cylindrical containers are propelled through a series of connecting pvc pipes by high pressure vacuums. They are insanely fast and are used by giant warehouses and Costco.

My project is a lot simpler but the principle still holds. Instead of using industrial powerful vacuum, I instead used a domestic Shop Vac Vacuum Cleaner as my main source of propulsion and some acrylic tubing and pvc connectors and masking tape to build the frame. And it works!

Now, since this is moreover a concept, my main goal was just to prove how this method could theoretically work. If you would like to construct one for your own home to shoot, I don’t know, cereal across a room…that’d actually be really awesome.

Comments

[dodland]

Reminds me of BioShock :)

[vulcan24]

Yeah, me too

[dombeef]

What you should do is make a door at the front and the end so it will be easier to put stuff in and take out,

[SHIFT!]

I really want a large one for packages and mailing envelopes, like an Incoming- Outgoing service. Think Futuristic Dumbwaiter.

[dombeef]

Well then you would have to bend the pipes instead of using connectors, the packages wont fit and they will get stuck

[PS118]

Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place in my Home De(s)pot. What department did you find clear pipes in?

[SHIFT!]

I actually got those plastic tubes at Tap Plastics, but you could substitute pvc pipe if they're not available. 

[splazem]

This is sweet! I wish I had one of these at my house!

[SHIFT!]

As soon as I'm get back to college, I'm routing one all throughout my dorm room.

[splazem]

That would be epic!

[sunshiine]

Shift I love this ible! Nice touch! How about one that will go to the store for me! I hate that job.

[SHIFT!]

Thanks sunshiine! And I've got a better idea- how about an instant mail order delivery system that has a direct package route from your store to your house? Or one that transports you to the store, via Futurama :D

[sunshiine]

I like the first idea best. I'd rather stay home and make instructables!

[mikeasaurus]

Awesome!
Please create a tube termination point at my desk. I will be expecting my ping-pong ball filled with skittles shortly.

[SHIFT!]

Totally mikeasaurus! Once I get large 4 inch tubes, I'll have one leading directly to your work area from the kitchen!