BRG Rental Helmet Fixture
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Customer: BRG Sports (Now Vista Outdoor)
Customer Pain: Our group attempted to solve the inability of snow rental shops to determine whether returned helmets y custeomer were still safe to use or not. When Mike, the owner of Ski Bum, came to speak to our class he explained at one point that he replaces his fleet of rental helmets every two years. At that moment we all wondered- what if severaly helmets within that fleet were actually not safe structurally, but Ski Bum unknowingly continued to use them anyway?
Design Process
The first phase of the project involved customer research and exploration. We interviewed store owners about their experience with renting helmets to customers, advising them when shopping for helmets, and customer attitude towards helmet ownership. We conducted exploration activities like POV Analogies and Mad Libs and a brainstorming session to exercise our capacity of empathy, seek to understand our customer(s), and expand our minds to make novel connections.
After conducting research and exploration activities, we decided that we needed a way to visibly detect non-visible damage in helmets. We considered a few technologies such as:
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thermal imaging,
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ultrasound imaging
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stiffness testing
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audio signals
Stiffness testing proved to be our most efficient and our prototype would be an application of that.
Our first version of our prototype used a cam with a fixed displacement attached with a hand lever that would apply a load to the helmet, which sat on a weight scale. Our final prototype functioned the same way, except we replaced the cam with a four bar and replaced the weight scale with a force plate, which would provide us with more accurate readings. Our prototype could be used at a rental shop or retailer to test customer helmets. Using a reference guide showing specific brands, sizes, and products, the user could find the range of force needed as a benchmark for a particular helmet. The user would apply a load to the helmet by pulling down on the hand lever, which is directly attached to the four bar. Once the load is applied, if the force plate gives a particular reading, and depending on where the reading falls in the range of force, the user can determine whether the helmet is still safe to use or not.