Accessible
fire escape
ladder
fire escape
ladder
Lifespine
EMERGENCY ESCAPE FIRE LADDER
Lifespine provides a quick and simple escape route for users of all abilities in the event of a housefire or similar emergency. Using its integrated belay and sling, users can first lower any household members with physical limitations or disabilities (e.g. wheelchair users, young children, or older adults) before descending the ladder themselves.
PROJECT DURATION:
6 WEEKS
OCT-DEC 2024
6 WEEKS
OCT-DEC 2024
SKILLS APPLIED:
PROTOTYPING
RHINO
KEYSHOT
PROTOTYPING
RHINO
KEYSHOT
IN COLLABORATION WITH:
ELI KIMCHI
HILLARY CHEN
ELI KIMCHI
HILLARY CHEN
THE ISSUE
Children and older adults are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the U.S. population at large.*
*American red cross and the national fire protection association
The fire escape ladder has remained functionally unchanged since 1904, and can be virtually unnavigable to users with limited mobility.
BELAYED DESCENT
FORM ITERATION
“I feel like I’m going to fall off the whole time.”
- evan K, 20
- evan K, 20
“If I had my mom staying with us at the time...I would be pretty concerned for her safety."
- Lindsay d., 48
- Lindsay d., 48
“...When my kids were younger, [evacuating] would have been more of a challenge. Also, my wife’s parents have lived with us in the past...”
- Julio C., 53
- Julio C., 53
“I feel like I’m going to fall off the whole time.”
- evan K, 20
- evan K, 20
“If I had my mom staying with us at the time...I would be pretty concerned for her safety.
- Lindsay d., 48
- Lindsay d., 48
“...When my kids were younger, [evacuating] would have been more of a challenge. Also, my wife’s parents have lived with us in the past...”
- Julio C., 53
- Julio C., 53
OUR SOLUTION
Belayed descent can be used to broaden the scope of possible users.
Inspiration for the technical components - triangle rescue harnesses and the Petzl GriGri.
Inspiration for a sling feature came from existing helicopter triangle rescue harnesses.
A user could control the belay system using a lever device similar to a Petzl Gri Gri.
Exploration into staggered nesting Geometry, in which rungs would become incrementally narrower toward the ground
Further IDEATION WITH a radial nesting style.
Vertically extruded rung variation which facilitates outward unrolling and more surface area for a belay channel.
Exploration into staggered nesting Geometry, in which rungs would become incrementally narrower toward the ground
Further IDEATION WITH A radial nesting style.
Vertically extruded rung variation which facilitates outward unrolling and more surface area for a belay channel.
FORM DEVELOPMENT
Through the use of nesting, vertically extruded rungs, a ladder could simultaneously act as a channel for a belayed user.
The final configuration neatly contains the sling, rope, belay, wall offsets, and rungs in one compact and sequential system.
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