Ideation

Our team had several brainstorming sessions that resulted in multiple different ideas and designs. Additionally it brought up additional constraints that need to be considered.

We mostly just used stream of consciousness to come up with ideas, and then would build off of ideas given. We occasionally used other methods, such as concept mapping and profiling our consumers, which helped us see what constraints we might be missing.

Some of our concepts included:

• An earring hoop inspired carabiner

• A bike brake-like trigger to open the carabiner gate

• Magnetic, two-part carabiners

• A carabiner clip (the "hot dog" concept)

• A grabber arm to undo the quickdraws

• A screw shaped carabiner

• A remote activated carabiner

• A carabiner that can be released from swinging the rope

• Using a cord tied to the carabiner to rotate it off the bolt

• Creating a gear retrieval app/community

• A spool holder to carry the cord

Concepts in bold were ones that our team identified as most likely to satisfy the need

Bike brake mechanism:

The bike brake concept would involve pulling down a latch, lever, or trigger similar to pulling a brake lever on a bike. The idea is that a wire inside tubing will pull the carabiner gate open when a lever is squeezed, allowing the climber to have a safely closed carabiner that isn't opened until directly activated.

Carabiner clip:

Similar to how a hot dog fits in a hot dog bun, this concept would involve a sleeve or clip that fits the quickdraw snuggly such that it doesn't move or fall off the carabiner. This concept would be beneficial in that it uses currently existing quickdraws, rather than requiring the design of something entirely new. The clip would fit around the quickdraw and then push into the carabiner gate when triggered to open the quickdraw.

Cord tied to the carabiner:

Since the carabiners on quickdraws open at an angle below the bolt, they won't automatically come off the wall when their gates are opened. Instead, the carabiner has to be rotated out of the bolt somehow, which is where the cord concept comes into play - when cammed at the right position on the carabiner, pulling a cord could tilt the carabiner to the right angle such that it slips off the bolt.