Pretotyping

Description

A cord attaches to the gate and runs along the minor axis through the spine. The user pulls the cord from below, which opens the gate. 

Key Question

Does this mechanism open the carabiner without support, or does it rotate too much? 

Design

• Construction: A 3D printed block with a hole was glued to the spine. Then a cord was tied to the gate and fed through the hole in the 3D printed block. 

• Materials: 3D printer filament, nylon cord, hot glue 

• Changes: The hole in the 3D printed part was too small initially for the cord to fit through. It was re-designed and re-printed to be larger. 

User Testing

• Problems

  • Difficulty rotating the carabiner off the anchor after the gate was opened. 

• Insights

  • The mechanism works well to open the gate but the hook on the nose gets caught on the anchor when the user attempts to rotate the carabiner off. 

Description

This concept was inspired by the mechanism of bike brake pads. A tube attaches to the side of the spine, and extends to the ground. A cord attaches to the gate, runs through the tube, and attaches to a handle at the end of the tube. When the handle is squeezed, it pulls the string and opens the gate. 

Key Question

Can this mechanism open the carabiner without applying rotational force? 

Design

• Construction: A tube was pined to the spine of a carabiner with a safety pin and secure with hot glue. The cord was fed through the tube and tied to the gate. 

• Materials: irrigation tubing, safety pin, nylon cord, hot glue 

• Changes: The tube was too far below the top of the gate so the gate would not open. The tube was moved up on the spine so that the cord extended perpendicular away from the gate. 

User Testing

• Problems

  • Users had difficulty understanding the concept at first. Some attempted to pull on the tube instead of holding the tube still and pulling on the string. 

  • Users had difficulty rotating the carabiner off the anchor once the gate was opened. 

• Insights

  • Pretotype 2 was not as intuitive to use as pretotype 1. However, this may be improved if the handle is added. 

  • Users expressed concern about carrying the amount of tubing necessary for a full-scale device.

Description

This concept allows the user to attach the mechanism to any carabiner, instead of needing an entirely separate device. A sleeve attaches to the outside of the carabiner and a lever applies force to the outside of the gate. It can be combined with the concept of pretotype 1 or pretotype 2 to open the gate. 

Key Question

Does the sleeve fit on a carabiner?

Design

• Construction: molding clay was formed to the desired shape and a twist tie was attached to the end to simulate the lever. 

• Materials: molding clay, twist tie

• Changes: The shape of the pretotype initially covered too much of the spine. Material was removed to only cover the bottom of the carabiner. 

User Testing

• Problems

  • Some users were initially confused by the pretotype and required an explanation. 

  • Some users made the point that there are many shapes and sizes of carabiners. They questioned the feasibility of a device that could be universal for all carabiners. 

• Insights

  • Users liked the idea of a separate device that could attach to any carabiner. Since a carabiner is only left behind occasionally, user's want the device to be as small and as light as possible. 

  • There are many forms of carabiners, so designing a device that fits all of them may be a challenge. 

Description

This concept allows the user to easily carry the spool of cord necessary for pretotypes 1-3. It easily attaches to a climbers harness and can be carried out of the way until needed. 

Design

• Construction: The concept was modeled and 3D printed. An exuded cylinder is capped at the bottom to retain the spool, and the insert at the top includes a loop to attach to a carabiner. 

• Materials: 3D printer filament

• Changes: The loop at the top was initially too small to fit through a carabiner, so it was made larger and re-printed. 

User Testing

• Problems

  • It took some users a moment to think about where they could attach the spool holder and if it would get in the way while they were climbing. 

• Insights

  • Users were excited about this concept and thought that it would not be too cumbersome to carry.

  • Some users do not use carabiners to descend often, so they doubted if they would need the device. They thought it would be useful for climbers who descend on carabiners often. 

Description

A remote-activated release mechanism that would open the gate when the user presses a button from below. 

Design

• Construction: The concept was simulated by attaching a cord to the gate and using a set of car keys as the "remote". The user was asked to press the button and a team member pulled the cord to open the gate. 

• Materials: nylon cord, car keys

• Changes: None 

User Testing

• Problems

  • Users brought up that they often climb in adverse conditions, such as wind and rain. They questioned the durability of an electronic system in these conditions. 

• Insights

  • Users like that this would be a compact and lightweight solution. 

  • Users are unsure about the durability of this concept. 

  • Users expect a price point below $40-$50. This may be hard to achieve with this concept as it is likely the most expensive of the five.