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GARETH HOUGHTON
AI D I N G M O U NTAI N S EAR C H & R E S C U E
CONTENTS
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Research and Planning
06 Abstract 06 Research Question 07 Research Plan 11 Project Process
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Exploration Context
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Exploration contacts Exploration Introduction Exploration Initial Brief Initial Research Areas Qualitative Research Case Studies Exploration Summary
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Major Project
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Initial Brief Validators & Companies The Research Journey
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A New Direction
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50 59 64
Fundamental Components Arduino Experiments Brand Analysis
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Experimental Clothing (De)Construction
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Jacket Deconstruction Blocks & Patterns Strap Test Sewing Machine Induction Material Samples
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Lighting
85 87 89
Fibre Optic Fabric Photoluminescence Lights Lighting Placement Test
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Initial Concept Sketching
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Validation
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Further Development
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Key Features
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Whats Next . . .
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GUIDANCE
AIM
FEEDBACK
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REFLECTION
SUCCESS/FAILURE
INSIGHTS
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DECISION
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RESEARCH QUESTION
How could I improve mountain search and rescue efforts to save lives in harsh terrains?
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RESEARCH PLAN
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
RESEARCH CONTACTING
VALIDATORS IDEATE EXPERIMENTS
DEVELOP CJ PART
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WEEK 4
WEEK 5
PROTOTYPING ONE DOCUMENT
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WEEK 6
RESEARCH PLAN RESEARCH I will conduct research through computer based searches and books while gaining qualitative research from professionals in the subject area.
C O N T A C T I N G VALIDATORS Contacting professionals within search and rescue and design professions will help validate any ideas I have in terms of my project.
IDEATE Ideation will help me develop the right design for my project. Developing ideas until I feel I have the right design to take further.
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EXPERIMENTS Conducting experiments will enable me to gain knowledge of what I need to introduce to my design by taking things apart and testing electronics.
PROTOTYPING Prototyping will include mock up models and fabric testing with blocks from the fashion department. This will aid in the development of the final model.
CJ PART ONE Throughout the project I will be adding all processes into this document to keep an ongoing record of my progression.
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EXPLORATION PROJECT DISCOVER
INITIAL IDEA
DEFINE
Exploring the given area of my initial idea, conducting research to inform my project.
Refining the initial brief from the research conducted and reflecting upon the outcome.
EXPLORATION PROJECT The purpose of the exploration project was to develop an understanding of search and rescue organisations and gain insights to inform my Final Major Project.
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FINAL MAJOR PROJECT DEVELOP
DELIVER
Developing a better understanding through testing and developing a more refined concept.
Iterating and prototyping to deliver a well designed final product.
CJ PART ONE
CJ PART TWO
FINAL MAJOR PROJECT Throughout the major project I will be researching further and testing various concepts to better inform my ideas and develop a final outcome that could aid mountain search and rescue.
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FINAL OUTPUT
EXPLORATION CONTACTS
ADRIAN SCHINDLER
SERGEANT, GENDARMERIE DE HAUTE MONTAGNE
COMPANIES
REGA, SWITZERLAND
LD MOUNTAIN CENTRE
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NORTH OF TYNE MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
EXPLORATION PROJECT The aim of the exploration project is to gain a better understanding of search and rescue organisations, the users and what conditions they face while out in the world. Through research I hope to discover insights that would help me develop a concept or allow me to gain a specific demographic which would benefit from the final outcome.
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EXPLORATION INITIAL BRIEF When a person is stranded in a harsh environment, its hard to know their vitals while either waiting to be rescued or while on an expedition. In such extreme conditions, such as cold weather and high altitudes, other factors such as core temperatures, heart rate and the risk of hypothermia, for example, could be hard to track. On the other side of that, it would be really useful to the rescuers, if they were able to know their body state on the mission, as to not jeopardize the rescue mission. The idea is to look into future technology in wearables to help search and rescue missions and look to integrate Nano technology with advanced fabrics to aid and monitor body vitals in the survivors and the rescuers themselves. It would help save lives.
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INITIAL RESEARCH I researched different areas to gain an understanding of who I will be designing for and what I will use in the concept.
SEARCH & RESCUE
Which organisation would benefit the most from using e-fabrics and technology.
MEDICAL INCIDENTS
To help in this area I need to understand what a person is likely to go through.
MOUNTAINEERING CLOTHING
I would like to find the most useful material for my idea.
FABRIC TECHNOLOGY
Gain a better understanding of which fabric to use and which would work well integrated with future technology.
TECHNOLOGY
I will look into GPS tracking systems, telemetry and professional athlete monitoring systems
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FIELD RESEARCH To gain valuable primary research I took a trip to Switzerland, where I could interview people working within search and rescue organisations. It would be advantageous to speak to professionals
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“CHARGE YOUR MOBILE PHONE, AN EMERGENCY RADIO DEVICE IS USEFUL”
REGA ADRIAN SCHINDLER I interviewed one of the personnel from REGA, Adrian Schindler who is one of the emergency response team. He was not able to meet me in person but he answered some questions in detail. I discovered that people are hard to track.
It was clear to me that finding a person lost in that situation quickly is essential in order to save their lives. Poor visibility is a big barrier too.
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“WE USE DEVICES WHICH CAN TRACK HEARTBEAT, WHICH ARE BULKY”
GENDARMERIE DE HAUTE MONTAGNE SERGEANT The equipment is all from Saleewa and the only issue they had was with the base of the outer trousers. He also told me that bad weather can hinder missions and that people can be hard to track. The biggest hinderance when it comes to finding people trapped on mountains or out in the wilderness is they are unable to be tracked or bad weather.
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NORTH OF TYNE MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM I wanted to speak to them to gain qualitative research and speak to them about my initial ideas. They told me that many people who are walking use their phone and they are able to be found using data as a message to locate them. Upon reflection a smart phone is a good way to locate someone, however, what if they are in a network deadzone or their phone is dead. One of the members suggested an elastic belt across the chest in which sensors could be place into a pocket might be good.
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CASE STUDY 1 MOUNT HOOD - Caught in a severe storm on the 12th May - Took 2 hours to dig a snow cave as only had one shovel - Snow cave was too small for 13 people - 2 people took a risk and descended for help on the 13th May - Bad weather made it difficult to start a search mission - Rescuers found 3 bodies on the 14th May - Stumbled upon 8 people in the snow cave on the 15th May - Only 2 survived out of the 8 - Took rescuers 2 days to find the missing climbers
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CASE STUDY 2 BEN NEVIS - Reported overdue on their return - Missing for over one month - Avalanche reportedly swept them off the mountain - Weather too bad to continue search - Snow takes a long to thaw out - Rescuers had no idea where they were - Rescuers triggered avalanches
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From the two case studies I learnt that it can be very difficult to locate someone who is stranded. Many people take mobile phones but more often than not the battery dies or they go into a ‘dead zone’. Visibility is also a big issue.
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EXPLORATION IN SHORT Researching all the factors within search and rescue organisations has gave me a lot of insights into what can and can not be used. The exploration project resulted in the idea of electromyography sensors being integrated into a Merino wool base layer which would read the bodies vital signs and muscle movement. When the sensors detect trouble they will send a wireless signal to a jacket which has a built in lighting system which would resemble the state of health. The jacket will have a GPS system built in which will activate automatically in an emergency.
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MAJOR PROJECT
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REFINED BRIEF When people go into the wilderness, especially in mountainous regions, they can be unfortunate to become stranded without anyone knowing where they are or if they what their health state is. Combining smart technology with materials to benefit a Mountain Search & Rescue and Mountaineers which could help save lives, track and monitor victims and potentially eliminate bulky equipment or tools. Moreover, the idea would indicate and possibly prevent mountain related sicknesses from becoming worse. The concept in mind is: • An item of clothing that is close to the skin, which has sensors woven in and when there is an issue with the body or the person is in danger, the sensors relay a message to emergency beacons in the outer shell. The beacon will send out an emergency signal and turn on lights in the fabric to enable the search and rescue team to find the location.
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VALIDATORS
DR MICK HILL
KEITH CHEUNG
TOMMY DYKES
DAN HORSHAM
DR MILEVA LSBU
DR STUART GOODALL
ALEX PEARCE
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COMPANIES
MONTANE
SEYMOUR POWELL
NATIVE
NORTH OF TYNE MRT
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THE JOURNEY
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INITIAL CONCEPTS
Initial sketches of the base layer show where the sensors would be placed in relevance to the part of the body which needed monitored.
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“Industrial designers are focused on the end-use of a product-who will use it and why� Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman
Smart Textiles for Designers is a book that I read to help me understand what smart textiles are out there and what application they have been used for. Within the book, I discovered a designer called Michele Stinco who developed a smart jacket in which the fabric regulates changing temperatures. In light of this information I feel the fabric used in the jacket would be suitable for my concept.
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CIRCUIT BOARDS
I looked into printed circuits because for the sensors in the base layer to work they need to be connected to a power source and a device that will translate the signals. When researching circuits I found that circuits can now be printed on material like silicone that can stretch. I think I can incorporate printed circuits into the product to carry the information from the sensors.
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SENSORS
The aim of looking into the sensors is to find the right type of sensor to get the results I am looking for. The same sensors they use to monitor pro athletes could be used to measure the vital signs of mountaineers. The sensors use electromyography which sends electrical currents into the body.
This use of technology would be a success as it could be monitored remotely to read the bodies vital signs.
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HEATED CLOTHING
I wanted to look at a way to heat the body if someone was suffering from a cold related illness and possibly prevent them. The aim is to discover if this is possible. I came to understand that a way to generate warmth is with pads that heat up using a small power source. I feel it will add too much weight and electronics to the concept.
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DR STUART GOODALL I wanted to meet with Dr Stuart Goodall to talk about the sensors that could measure the bodies vital signs and find out about the environmental chamber. I received an email from Dr Goodall and he advised me that, core temperature and heart rate could be monitored but not with the use of electromyography. I have to re-think using electromyography as Dr Goodall advised me that it will not work in the application I am looking to use it for.
NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY 41
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DR MILEVA London South Bank University
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I met Dr Mileva in order to gain an understanding relating to how the body acts at certain temperatures and how technology is used to measure the body.
Dr Mileva told me that core temperature can not be measured through the skin and it can only be measured through the ear with tympatic temperature.
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