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Doni
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 3, 2016 - 08:06pm PT
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I am an engineer, I've always liked rock climbing but I haven't ever had a chance to practice it to a professional level, however, I'd like to have a contribution to rock climbers' society. So , I was thinking of a problem that rock climbers might deal with ,therefore, I need your help to find that problem, so that hopefully, we could come up with an idea that might help rock climbers in the future.I would be very glad if you guys give me some hints on current problems that climbers face including the climbing tools and equipment, camping problems,... .
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Keeping a girlfriend/boyfriend
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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"Paging Cosmic...paging Cosmic.
please come to the white courtesy telephone please, paging Cosmic..."
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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A 35 foot clip stick might be a worthwhile challenge. .
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couchmaster
climber
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Short version
A big one that hasn't been solved is how to have a carabiner stay in a place, and also not unclip, in a fall. It is only a random occurrence, but has catastrophic consequences at times. This should get you started.
http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/the-unthinkable
"...investigators would surmise that Crill’s fall ripped the RP and Ballnut. He had two good cams below, both equipped with shoulder-length, small-diameter slings—but somehow both rope-end carabiners unclipped from the slings. They were both wire-gate biners."
Petzl strings have been set wrong and failed, resulting in lose of life, and slings can ride up onto gates, causing that as a failure mode.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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So , I was thinking of a problem that rock climbers might deal with Work interferes a lot with climbing
So does getting old
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
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Reigning in sarcasm comes to mind
but, I guess that's more an engineer's problem
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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My climbing is often adversely affected by gravity
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Alexey
climber
San Jose, CA
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HOOO BOY!!!!!
Most likely.
Cosmic, I finally got it. It is adventure to track Suprema. But I completely missed original story. what happened - she was banned for life? what she done?
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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I've got a 18 ft stick clip.
AND, a 16 ft ladder!
Classic! You are a wiener!
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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We need an invention like in the multiplicity movie where Michael Keaton had his working self and his family self and his playing self, then the copy made a copy that was mentally deficient... If we can get something like that to help weekend warriors climb more, that would be cool.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
Orygun
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Damnit locker, I was just on that caboose a couple weeks ago, but the engine was inside the museum. Quit following me you creeper!
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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hey Doni...
i've got a serious one for you. prob not an easy one and less of a rock climbing problem but a climbing problem none the less...
get me a lightweight [say under 200g for arguments sake] detector that can tell the thickness of snow or ice on a glacier... ie. something that can tell me the thickness of an otherwise invisible snowbridge over a crevasse...
get that for me and i'll buy the first one and i'm sure you could sell quite a few to others... :)
good luck!
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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butt shots and slithering lot crawlers.
it's a dual problem of vantage and perspective for the photographer confined to the line of ascent whether that would be above or below the subject of the image.
as an example solution, eppi fashioned devices which attached to his lower leg. a camera alongside the target climber could be operated with typical vertical alignment to produce a profile shot, often backlit from a stance in tension on a line established alongside the route. to achieve an improved vantage, the stilt like devices could be deployed, essentially jacking himself away from the wall into a wider/taller stance and the result was a subject with less backlighting, in other than pure profile and framed by rock at least to some degree oblique to the focal plane.
now if you can conjure up an engineered solution anywhere near as practical as that, you will have made a worthy contribution indeed
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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A certain substantial amount of climbing engineering seems to be devoted to solving problems we don't have.
In spite of the profusion of attempts, it does seem that we have yet to get the ideal belay device, although many would claim the pursuit of this ideal fits into the category above.
An ideal belay device would have some kind of automatic braking, but would not immediately lock under high loads, allowing perhaps 1/4 second of slip to absorb some fall energy and keep the loads on the top piece down. It would have to handle well, meaning that pumping slack to the leader would be fast and easy and would not require disabling the locking mechanism or tying up one of the belayer's hands in some kind of release mode. It would be usable as a locking guide plate for upper belays, and in that mode would have low pull-through resistance and a fully controllable way of lowering a hanging climber. It would work well for rappelling, not requiring too much effort to unlock and slide but still providing full safety locking if intentionally or accidentally released. All of these features should work in the cold and the wet and the device should not be sensitive to dirt and rock particles. Finally, it can't be heavier or bulkier than the current Grigri.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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No problems - only challenges
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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rgold, it's called a Sticht Plate. Keep It Simple Stoopid! (not that yer stoopid!)
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Easy - a hammer drill specialized for climbing and drilling on lead. Designed to be light weight and held overhead with one hand. With a remote battery option either on the harness or on an anchor below.
Yeah, that's what we need. Make drilling easier. (Eye roll).
Maybe they can pair it with a grid bolting CAD design software and throw in a free plaque engraving machine so you can leave little metal plaques at the base of the climbs like so much dog poop
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ec
climber
ca
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Time
Money
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brotherbbock
climber
Alta Loma, CA
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OP is pretty bold thinking he can solve all of our problems.
Who do you think you are Mr. big engineer guy?
You don't see us going on engineer forums trying to solve all of your problems.
You are a crankloon American .
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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There are people who do not want to climb by my rules. It is a problem.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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get me a lightweight [say under 200g for arguments sake] detector that can tell the thickness of snow or ice on a glacier... ie. something that can tell me the thickness of an otherwise invisible snowbridge over a crevasse...
That is a great one actually!
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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a portable ground penetrating radar
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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After reading about Alina (and many other injured parties), it would be great to have some sort of air bag type device, which would inflate during a fall and significantly mitigate severe injury. Maybe some genius engineer could come up with something.
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Spiny Norman
Social climber
Boring, Oregon
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I need a lighter-weight ass.
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Spiny Norman
Social climber
Boring, Oregon
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Also I'd like an easy way to drill a lot of holes in granite and other rock types without having to winch a gas-powered compressor up every route.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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rgold, it's called a Sticht Plate. Keep It Simple Stoopid
Yuppers. We did a lot of routes with a hip belay. No one died.
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Don't want to sound too pessimistic, but they're kind of universal and from what I've heard most climbers are in this universe.
The old sheeit or go blind dilemma ...
followed up by death and/or taxes
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herm
Trad climber
Bishop
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A way to protect blank rock without bolts<
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David Plotnikoff
Mountain climber
Emerald Hills, CA
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I have noticed an alarming increase in spraying at some crags over the past few years, particularly those frequented by top-ropers (ie: 90-Foot Wall in Tahoe and Warming Wall in Mammoth).
A silicone-impregnated nylon (SIL) hood with a very sturdy sling+velcro closure at the bottom (forming a complete tent over the sprayer and immobilizing his arms, ala a straitjacket) would be one approach.
While that hood would contain the spray, an engineering challenge to stop the spray at its source might be a plastic 3D-printer molded attachment to a standard stick clip extension pole, where someone could attach a can of Mace, bear repellent or CapStun and activate it in the face of the sprayer from a safe 20-foot distance.
These two design challenges still do nothing to address the problem of the supposedly grown men who cry like little girls on 5.10d yelling "Watch me! Waaaatch meeeeee! Taaaaake!!!!!!!!"
For that irritation, we may need to look into a surgical tubing slingshot of some sort, the type used to launch water-balloons.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Yeah cause making fun of climbers that have a hard time on 10d's isn't spray...
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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If you're phishing for ideas to put into production then what's your business deal? I've got 30 years of insights, mods and ideas, some are worthy. Are you in a position to develop products outside of climbing/recreation also?
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Doni
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 5, 2016 - 04:33pm PT
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<A big one that hasn't been solved is how to have a carabiner stay in a place, and also not unclip>
Thanks for your reply! I just had a quick question, does this problem exist with Auto-locking Carabiner as well or its just for screw-locking carabiner? I'm trying to understand the lock mechanism for Auto-locking Carabiner and trying to imagine how it would open..
Thanks!
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Doni
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 5, 2016 - 04:36pm PT
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[quote]<What kind of Engineer, Doni?"...>[\quote]
Mechanical engineer
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