Headrush Technologies Internship
Auto Belay Device
2019
Working for a summer at Headrush Technologies allowed me to refine my test engineering and fabrication skills. I worked on a team to design auto belays (pictured above.) The auto belays designed by Headrush Technologies work by magnetic fields opposing one another. When the auto belay is withdrawn (i.e. when a climber falls) the magnets create an Eddie Current and slows the fall of the climber. When the climber is climbing upward, the magnetic fields are not opposed and the device retracts.
At Headrush technologies I was responsible for testing and designing different aspects of the device. I created testing protocols, carried out the testing, and summarized the results. I also worked a lot in their machine shop fabricating test rigs and prototyping parts. I used a variety of tools all the way from a drill press to a 3D printer. Due to legal obligations I cannot show these devices and test rigs that I made, but stock photos of the devices are pictured above and more can be seen at https://headrushtech.com/ .