Battery Powered Mini-Cable-Car

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[COLOR=#282828][FONT=helvetica]A couple of friends and I are building an electrical miniature cable car, kind of like the one in the picture. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#282828][FONT=helvetica]We're mechanical engineering majors and love this kind of things but we just started out and don't really know much yet, so we're just looking for new ideas as to how to go about doing this.

So how would you do it?
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[FONT=helvetica][COLOR=#282828]Motor Specs: [/COLOR][/FONT]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial]9V battery powered, small motor.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]L[/COLOR][/FONT][COLOR=#282828][FONT=helvetica]ooks something like on the picture.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#282828][FONT=helvetica]The only rule is to work this exact motor.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#282828][FONT=helvetica]We are thinking of using gears but we're not sure how many, etc. So we would love to get your opinion!
Thanks in advance![ATTACH=CONFIG]727[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]728[/ATTACH]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial]As for the mass, the only requirement is that it has some sort of cabin, as long as it has that then it can be as light or heavy as we make it.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial]The cable seems to be pretty level, we won't know for sure until the day we test it, as the cable will be provided and set up by our school; But we're looking at fast, horizontal movement as opposed to escalated or inclined movement.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial]Friction is another thing we were thinking about.. we won't be able to measure anything that has to do with the cable but we were thinking of ways to increase the friction between the pulley and the cable so that it "grips" better. any suggestions?[/FONT][/COLOR]

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Guys, there are many engineers in this forum that could give you information to help you work your problem; but, I hope that does not happen. This is a project meant for exploration and what you learn from your own experiments is far more important than the ultimate success of your final design or winning the challenge (I know that is hard to face somtimes). This type of project is meant to let you exercise your imaginations. Take the project for its intended purpose and just have fun with it. You might even be surprised at your own ingenuity!

Thanks for asking, but you should check the homework policies of the forum. You learn best by doing things (including screwing up) yourself.