Realign

Design Engineer

Product Design, Biomechanics, Anthropometrics, Ethnographic Research, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing

Year: 2017, 3 weeks.

A redesigned pole vault pole bag that addresses the biomechanical cost of carrying 65 pounds on one shoulder. Starting from athlete observation and working through to a validated final form.

The Problem

Pole vault athletes carry their own poles in a bag weighing approximately 65 pounds, balanced asymmetrically on one shoulder. This loads and bends the spine, torques the neck, and fatigues the exact muscles needed to compete. The current standard design is a round plastic drainage pipe inside a vinyl bag.

Areas of Exploration

Torque on the Spine

Asymmetric loading causes long-term spinal damage and arrives at competition with already-fatigued muscles. The center of mass needed to move closer to the spine.

Heavy Load

Ethnographic research determined the average number of poles carried per athlete and per team, resulting in two bag sizes: an individual bag holding 9 poles and a two-person carry team bag holding 15. Carrying only what is needed reduces unnecessary load.

Pain Prevention

The interface between the athlete and the bag as the equipment is balanced on the shoulder can be painful. The interface between shoulder and bag needed to align with anatomy.

Making

Several forms were tested to shift the center of gravity toward the spine. Rough prototypes were weighted with sand and carried to test comfort and load distribution at each stage. The final interface form was confirmed through this process, with foam padding added at the balance point to intuitively communicate the correct carry position to the user. A 1:6 scale model was produced in 3D print to finalize the concept geometry.

Using anthropomorphic measurements for 50th percentile female USA olympic pole vault athletes several ideations of the final interface form were created.

Testing

The final form was confirmed through testing, with a padded interface added at the balance point of the bag to intuitively communicate the correct carry position to the user. A 1:6 scale model was produced in 3D print to finalize the concept geometry.