Climbalytics Fitness Tracker
Climbalytics fitness tracker is a fitness tracker designed for climbers. Climbers sport the Clymbalytics wristband where it automatically detects and tracks your climb via radio-frequency identification (RFID) tape marked at the start and end holds of a route.
Together with the Climbalytics App, climbers can track their progress, average climb grade, climbing time, number of flashes, route attempts, sends and many more, all without lifting a finger.
More information on the product and its progress can be found on the Climbalytics website, www.climbalytics.com
The Team
Together with fellow industrial designer, Charlotte Poon, we were tasked to design a working prototype for testing. We worked closely with the founders of Climbalytics who were also the engineering experts on the team.
Timeline
6 months. Sep 2017 - Feb 2018.
The Challenge
Overcoming the drawbacks and negative connotations of wearing accessories in the climbing gym.
Once the idea of wearing an accessory came to a climber, they immediately worried about the risks and the unfamiliarity of wearing accessories during a climb. Climbing while wearing accessories risks getting caught on hand holds or impeding their climb. The gyms are very dusty with abrasive walls so any accessories will get very dirty or scratched. For those reasons most climbers avoid wearing any at all. Phones however are becoming more common to keep at their side as climbers listen to music as they climb via Bluetooth earphones and gyms have adopted Moonboards, a network connected interactive training wall that’s controlled via an app.
Balancing the requirements and limitations of tech with the needs and experience of the climber.
RFID provides a seamless experience for the climber by recording data requiring little to no interactions from the climber. However the size and shape of the RFID module, especially the antenna had to be factored into the design.
The Solution
A wristband was the best solution for the RFID module since climbers will naturally be close to the RFID tags located on the hand holds. To mitigate risks and unfamiliarity of wearing a wristband, the design had to have:
A fail-safe mechanism that easily detaches from the wrist should the wristband catch on something
A band that fits snug the 5th and 95th percentile of men and women
No digital interface to minimize areas that can easily damage as well as help with battery consumption
A design that does not highlight any scratches and dust
Maximum dimension of the wristband face would be 35 x 35 mm, which is about the same size as an apple watch
To fit the RFID module the antenna would be woven into the strap
Inspiration
We looked at current climbing gear and climbing inspired jewelry for inspiration into the design. We were drawn towards the design and style of rope, the bold colours and how the chalk dust made the look more rugged rather than awful.
Initial Concepts
Prototypes
Prototypes were made to explore the wrist strap. They were then tested in the gym.
Findings
Rope band - the strap came loose over time
Velcro strap - the Velcro was too strong and didn’t detach the way it was intended to
Slide strap - excess strap was distracting during a climb and also didn’t detach the way it was intended
What did detach when force was applied was the watch pin that was featured in the watch I used for the prototypes. The design then followed through with that idea.
Final Design
The wristband features a woven nylon sport band with the antenna sewn inside and hook and loop fastener on the end. The strap goes through a spring bar pin that detaches when a significant force is applied. The body is designed for impact where dust and scratches add to the rugged texture of the surface. The wristband is charged via a micro USB that’s sealed from dust by a thermoplastic cover.
The Interface and LED Behaviour
Press and hold to turn on. LED will flash to indicate it is turning on
Flashes and vibrates 3x (one for each second) when the final RFID taf is detected
Flashes and vibrates when RFID tags are detected.
Short press for battery life. Green = healthy, yellow = half full, red = almost dead.
Lies dormant during non-use
Press and hold to turn off. LED will shine red until off.
Current Status
Climbalytics continued on with this design and produced working prototypes to pass through their beta testing. Their latest run involved 50 climbers! They are currently hard at work expanding to more gyms and promoting the product which have received positive feedback. They are currently still working hard to release the Climbalytics fitness tracker and are doing very well for themselves. I wish them all the best of luck!
