Auto Belay Safety System™

By Nicros

The patented Nicros Auto Belay Safety System™ (A.B.S.S.™) provides climbing wall owners and operators a means of monitoring the use of Auto Belays on a climbing wall.

With the increasing popularity of rock climbing, indoor climbing facilities, and Auto Belays all across the country, the possibility of related accidents also increases. First released in 2011, this system uses cutting edge technology to determine if a person is climbing without being attached to the device. The A.B.S.S.™ device provides climbing wall operators a means of monitoring Auto Belay use in their facilities.

Description of Services:

Engineering – Took initial proof of concept design with IR sensors, and created a new design using PIR sensors in order to decrease false alerts.
This involved sourcing PIR friendly lenses and lens covers, material testing, and working closely with electrical engineers on fitting the board within a tight package space.
Worked closely with electrical engineers on refining the PIR sensors to appropriately detect climber in defined zones.
Create dust chamber to test for chalk dust ingress and make sure the entire unit was leak and dust proof
Created wall mounting test structure to make sure units could support the full weight of the climber without yielding.
Engineered gaskets to prevent dust and sweat ingress. Created gasket design for lens covers as well as removeable back covers.

Industrial Design / 3D Modeling – Designed outer shape of wall and base sensor to match closer to Nicros’s wall mount products.
Refined surfacing to discourage users from placing hands or feet on sensors.
Created CAD model for beta prototypes in Solidworks.

Prototyping – Created 3D printed beta prototypes to showcase functionality and to use at outdoor trade shows.

Results – New direct sales on Nicros website.