The Avalung: Avalanche Breathing Kit

“Airbags with compressed air canisters are a pain in the ass. Since you can’t fly with a full air canister, when you land in a foreign country, you have to find the time and the location and the transportation to go to a ski shop to fill it up. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lugged my airbag across the world, only to never find the time or the place to fill up my air canister, which leaves me with just another heavy backpack that’s worthless in the event of an avalanche.

The Avalung bypasses this entirely. In fact, it’s really easy to travel with. After all, it’s just a tube that I packed into my suitcase.”

via Should You Use An Avalung? | POWDER Magazine

“Another concern with the Avalung is how and when you insert the mouthpiece –the following experience led me to believe that you should have it in your mouth well before you’re actually fighting for your life: I’ve been caught in several avalanches. In one I was taken totally by surprise while climbing in a whiteout, and was tumbling down the mountain before I could have inserted an Avalung mouthpiece. In another, my hands were occupied in a futile attempt to self arrest when a large fracture opened near me and I immediately accelerated down a steep slope — to have grabbed the mouthpiece with my teeth in this situation would have been impossible. Yet another time, the slope I was on fractured with no warning and I was involved in a tumbling fall with no time whatsoever to do anything.

What if you don’t happen to be skiing with the Avalung tube in your mouth? Some avalanches provide ample advance warning. For example, the well documented avalanche survival of Avalung user Mike Morrisey in 2002 occurred when he was threatened by snow slide from above, realized he was about to be caught, and had time to insert his mouthpiece. According to Black Diamond, there have been other incidents when the victim had time to insert the mouthpiece. What’s more, if you practice inserting the mouthpiece so it becomes second nature, with and without the help of your hands, it’s plausible that insertion could be accomplished when you first realize you’re caught in a slide. (To help with this, try adjusting the mouthpiece so it bumps your cheek or chin while you’re skiing, and is thus easy to bite with a quick turn and nod of your head.)

That said, I’m opting for certainty — when possible I ski with the mouthpiece in my maw. While this looks somewhat goofy and can feel awkward, it’s actually quite easy to do, though it can eventually clog the device with frozen condensation, and may be uncomfortable. Compensating for that, an advantage of skiing with the mouthpiece inserted is that it won’t get clogged with snow if you fall, and it acts as a snorkel if you’re skiing powder that’s washing against your face.”

Black Diamond Avalung – Review

Interviews: Tynemouth Surf Co.

Tynemouth Surf, ‘Needles in Your Face’

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Today I went down to Tynemouth Surf Co. to interview surfers about their experiences with being held underwater.

First up was Louis, 21 years of age and the owner of Tynemouth Surf Co.

Louis is an experienced surfer

“I’ve been surfing for around 14 years”

“I’ve done a lot of competitive surfing and surfed quite a lot of spots around the world”

“The biggest [wave] I’d go for in terms of feet is maybe 15? I’d go about double/triple overhead. I’ve just bought a Patagonia wetsuit with extra foam padding & buoyancy for winter, so I’d probably be wearing that if it got to triple overhead”

“I’ve been held down [chuckles] more than 50 times for sure. There are certain ones which are more memorable than others”

“A couple of the worst ones are where I’ve been on shallow reef. I’ve wiped out, and been pinned onto the reef on my back. Its like not being able to move, you’re basically stuck on your back until the water pressure releases and you can push yourself off the rock”

“I’ve also had a couple of other ones in deeper water, where you’re just being rolled around so many times and you don’t really know which way up you are. I’ve had to grab my leash to check which way up I am, and then obviously swim up from there”

“Personally, I’ve never actually felt like I was going to drown. I’ve been really scared and thought ‘God I’m in trouble here, this could be serious‘ but I’ve always had enough breath. This winter I’m going to be going for a lot more big waves, so thats where I’ll get tested a little bit!”

“A lot of the friends that I surf with are actually lifeguards, but most of the time there isn’t an on-duty Lifeguard when I’m surfing”

“It’s definitely a factor. The more experience you have, the more [courage] you’ll have. It’s also a thing with big waves, you have to want to go and surf them. I’ve got a few friends who are professional surfers who just don’t like big waves. Their skill set is good enough, but they’re not really into that”

“I was in Thurso a couple of weeks ago, the waves were 8-10ft [1.5x overhead], one of the lads got held under for quite a while and he said he was worried about drowning”

“I think if you’ve got additional buoyancy when you’re under the water obviously it’s a good thing, helping to achieve the same thing as what your surfboard is doing”

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Next I spoke with Tom, 21 years of age and works at Tynemouth Surf Co.

Tom is an Intermediate Surfer

“I’ve been surfing for around 5 years. One year before uni, and 3 years whilst at uni but not as regularly and a year since I’ve finished”

“I prefer smaller waves, because I just bought a longboard, but I’ve surfed about head-high before.”

“I remember three or four times where I remember being like ‘this is not a normal wipeout’ ”

“I was surfing waves that were far too big for my ability back when I first started surfing. I caught a head-high solid wave, took off and rode the wave in a bit and fell off. It wasn’t that wave that I got held under by. I turned and started paddling back but took a massive set [of waves] on the head. It was because I was out of breath after paddling & surfing, and it felt really bad. I was put through what felt like a washing machine, when I came up for air, I was kind of dizzy and then got held under again!”

“you feel a lot more out of breath than you actually are, and you’re panicking and you don’t know where you are”

“It was mostly because I was out of breath before that wave, if I’d had breath I reckon I’d have been fine”

“I’m only surfing with an on-duty lifeguard present in the Summer, really”

“Yeah, I reckon that my first priority in a hold-down is to make my way to the surface as fast as possible”

“Yeah, I suppose if you had additional air you wouldn’t be as concerned with getting up”

“You really just want to get to the surface to breathe I guess”

 

 

 

 

 

Video

In an attempt to further understand the sensation of being ‘held under’ I filmed some big-wave training techniques used by athletes like Louis with my flatmates, at Northumbria Sport’s swimming pool.

The techniques involves extended periods of being spun
underwater whilst holding your breath and running with weights,
with periods of intensive swimming inbetween.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much useful information gained from this
experiment. With a clearer study motive, or more focused study topic,
I could have gained some more valuable insights.

Video Project Grab

Motivations

Welcome to the first chapter of my Critical Justification Blog. This platform will serve to document my design research, processes, observations and proposals during my final year at Northumbria University.

Groundbreaking invention in terms of overall form-factor, or technical capabilities of a product has always beeen my greatest area of interest in Industrial Design. Applications of new or existing technologies in consumer products is something that I have strongly wanted to pursue in my own work. This nature of drastic re-evaluation of a product area was a key focus when defining my development direction.

I have had a long-lasting personal interest in watersports, but the desire to approach watersports safety as a Final Major Project direction stems from an event that nearly drowned me 4 years ago. This event involved prolonged submersion by a breaking wave, being unable to reach the surface and breathe.

In response to this, I formulated the following question to help refine my development direction:

“How can we apply existing technologies

to modernise safety in watersports?”

By ‘Exisitng Technologies’, I set out to investigate personal safety devices of all areas guiding a much wider exploration of materials, processes and products of further industries.

‘Modernising Safety’ Will involve producing an entirely ‘novel’ safety device, in terms of technical abilities, form, operation or specific use. This could involve a re-evaluation on an exisitng safety device, or an entirely novel approach to that design area.

‘Watersports’ specifcally involves a wide range of watersports with a focus on dynamic mobility. Following from my initial research on Lifejacket and Portable Flotation Device qualifications and specifications, I have decided to approach this brief with a focus on the ISO 50N / USCG Type V. This area provides opportunity to develop the most compact, versatile solution suitable for a wide range of watersports applications.

Multiple target areas include, but are not limited to: Coasteering, Kitesurfing, SUPing, Surfing.

How I intend to answer this question:

To answer this question, I am focusing on understanding the technologies and industries applied in a concept’s development. A greater understanding of each component’s industry will both provide me with the insight to succinctly apply them in a product solution, and aid in developing a wider range of skills as an industrial designer.

One example industry is SCUBA: small contained underwater breathing apparatus’ will, as initial research suggests, potentially be involved in the solution and so should be fully understood before development begins. Another example is the designing and prototyping of inflatables, which is something that I have never had any experience in doing. Finally this project involves not just the technologies applied, but the target market, and all of the factors here that influence development directions. It is here that contacts such as Kevin Anderson will prove invaluable.

Skills and Knowledge Required:

SCUBA: Understanding air delivery underwater could prove essential in the product solution. Being such a hazardous area, a full understanding of all of the safety implications of air delivery underwater is required before any development begins.

Coasteering: My contact Kevin Anderson, through several meetings, will help provide insight into the industry of coasteering as I develop the solution. His insights as a lifeguard, kitesurfing trainer and coasteering guide will being to light several necessities across the lifecycle: from storage and maintenance, to safety and operation when in use.

CO2 Inflatables: These inflatables are a key area of inspiration in this project. They appear to meet the requirements of compact size and versatility, and will act as a vital foundation of knowledge to further develop from.

Syntax: The order-of-use for lifesupports must be absolutely intuitive, requiring minimum stages of operation in difficult and stressful situations. This is a key area of the development process that must be constantly addressed in every revision.

 

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Lifejacket / PFD Classifications

In the video above, the demonstrated activation of the CO2 release on the type V shows that the standard manouvre involves the right arm. Alternate options do not seem to be available for left-handed users. This could prove an interesting design area. I will consult with Kevin Anderson on his thoughts: would having left and right-handed options increase or decrease product reliability?

To begin narrowing down on the concept direction, I have selected the following Lifejacket / Portable Flotation Device (PFD) certifications as targets. This is due to the following:

  • The brief highlights that the solution must encourage dynamic watersports. In the interest of appealing to a wide-range of watersports enthusiasts.
  • In ensuring the minimum level of interference, a compact form factor is essential. This design project focuses on providing an alternative, more compact Lifejacket solution specifically for use in dynamic watersports such as coasterring and kitseurfing. These qualifications provide affordance of more compact product volumes in development.
  • Given that the solution provides compressed air for situations where they may be trapped underwater, too much buoyancy could immobilise the user, creating a more hazardous scenario.

ISO & CE Types

Both types are the same in terms of their buoyancy and generally in features too

50-160x160

50N – Buoyancy Aid:

Designed for competent swimmers in sheltered water where help is close at hand. They only provide support to conscious people who can help themselves, and are an aid to flotation only.  They have 50 Newtons (11 lbs.) of flotation.

US Standards – USCG Approved

Type I: Offshore Life Jackets:

Best for all waters; open ocean, rough seas, or remote water, where rescue may be slow coming.  Though foam types are bulky, inflatables ones are not.  They have the most buoyancy, reflective tape, a bright color and can turn most unconscious people face up in the water.  Type I foam life jackets can be uncomfortable to wear while sailing.  Foam type I jackets provide 33 pounds (100 Newtons) of flotation, while type I inflatable life jackets provide 33 pounds (150 Newtons) of flotation.  There are currently no USCG approved type I inflatable life jackets.

Type II: Near-shore Vests:

Calm inland waters, where a quick rescue is likely, is the intent of these PFDs. They will turn some unconscious wearers to the face-up position but not all of them. Foam Type II’s are ‘bulky’ and not generally comfortable to wear while sailing, but less ‘bulky’ than foam Type I’s.  Foam type II jackets provide 15.5 pounds (70 Newtons) of flotation, while type II inflatable life jackets provide have 33 pounds (150 Newtons) of flotation.  Type II foam life jacket are usually the inexpensive type stowed on board to insure USCG compliance.  Inflatable Type IIs offer higher flotation and comfort and are popular for wearing at all times.

Type III: Flotation Aids:

These are suitable for most sailors where there is a chance for a quick rescue. They offer freedom of movement and the most comfort for a conscious person. Foam type III’s are designed so wearers can put themselves in a face-up position, but they may have to tilt their head back to avoid being face down in water.  Inflatable type III’s generally float a person head back.  Foam type III life vests provide 15.5 pounds (70 Newtons) of flotation, while inflatable type III life jackets provide 22 pounds (100 Newtons) of flotation.  Type III foam life jackets are comfortable and popular for those wearing them as all times.  Inflatable type III’s inflatables offer higher flotation and even greater comfort and are popular for wearing at all times.

Type IV: Throwable Devices:

Cushions or ring buoys are designed to be thrown to someone in trouble and provide backup to a PFD. They are not for non-swimmers, rough waters or the unconscious. The USCG does not require these for dinghies, canoes, kayaks.  These are not worn like a life jacket, generally just held onto by someone in the water.  Type IV ring buoys provide 16.5 pounds (75 Newtons) of flotation, and throwable boat cushions provide 18 pounds (82 Newtons) of flotation

Type V: Special-use Devices:

These are specialized PFDs for specific activities. To be acceptable by the USCG, they must be used for the activity specified on the label. Varieties include sailing, kayaking, water skiing, windsurfing, hybrid vests and deck suits.  For sailing these generally consist of inflatable life jackets with harnesses, or over the head entry foam life jackets for dinghy sailing.  Type V life jackets provide 15.5 – 22 pounds (70 – 100 Newtons) of flotation, while inflatable type V life jackets provide 22 – 34 pounds (100 – 155 Newtons) of flotation.  These vests will usually be labeled either ‘Type V with Type II performance’ or ‘Type V with Type III performance’.  The label will also specify what specific ‘Special use’ the life jacket is designed for.