Lifespine
an accessible, compact fire escape 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.
Contributors:Eli Kimchi, Hillary Chen, Johann De Villiers
Tools:Rhino3D, Marvelous Designer, Keyshot, Adobe Suite
Duration:Six weeks
A PERVASIVE ISSUE
Children and older adults are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the U.S. population at large.
THE CURRENT MARKET
The fire escape ladder has remained functionally unchanged since 1904.
There are no household fire escape solutions on the market accessible to users with limited mobility.
OUR NEW DESIGN SHOULD BE:
ACCESSIBLEUsing a fire escape ladder is a difficult task, further
exacerbated by stress and injury. Our design should enable users of all abilities
to exit safely and quickly.
COMPACTCurrent ladders are made
with loose straps and metal rungs that nest
awkwardly and often tangle — ours should nest cleanly for easy
transport and quick, straightforward deployment.
STABLEThe long straps of current ladders make
descending shaky, twisting, and
frightening. Our design should have a more rigid
structure to create a stable, controlled
descent.
IDEATION
How might we integrate belayed descent into the traditional fire escape procedure?
RUNG DEVELOPMENT
A vertebrae-like rung shape nested cleanly and provided structure and rigidity during use.
BELAY DEVICE
We based our belay on the mechanics of the Petzl GRIGRI. Descent speed is intuitively controlled by gradually raising the belay handle.
SLING
We went with the triangle-style slings used in helicopter rescues, which are quick to don and come off naturally when the tension loosens.
REFINED CONCEPT
The final configuration neatly contains the sling, rope, belay, offsets, and rungs in one compact form.
Introducing Lifespine, an accessible fire escape ladder.