Full Market Feedback Report
Fall protection airbag



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Mountain climbers and fire fighting personel are at risk from falling while performing their tasks. Although crash helmets and impact pads can be worn to reduce fatalities, they are ineffective for falls beyond a certain height.

This idea is a fall protection device comprising a compacted air bag that is strapped to the back of the person with an activation ripcord, located in front of the chest. The air bag contains an embedded combustion chamber filled with solid compound mixture of sodium azide and potassium nitrate.

When the ripcord is pulled, an electrical switch, powered by a nickel cadmium battery, ignites the compound forming nitrogen gas, which rapidly inflates the air bag. The 6?x2?x1? inflated dimension of the airbag covers the entire back portion of the person's body to absorb ground impact and lessen the extent of injury due to a fall.





Statistics
 
Date featured on website Friday, 20 January 2006
Number of viewers that looked at new idea 1266
Number of viewers that provided market feedback 48
 
Market Potential of New Idea as perceived by Respondents
    Assessments %  
 
    Definitely YES 5 10%  
    Probably YES 7 15%  
    Probably NO 11 23%  
    Definitely NO 25 52%  
 
    Total 48 100%  

Location Region of Respondents
    USA Australia Europe South Africa Canada Rest  
 
    Definitely YES 0 0 0 5 0 0  
    Probably YES 0 0 0 7 0 0  
    Probably NO 0 0 0 11 0 0  
    Definitely NO 1 0 2 21 1 0  
 
    Total 1 0 2 44 1 0  

Demographics of Respondents
Years Experience in Sector
Highest Level of Education
Age Group
Gender Group
Contact Details of Inventor(s)
Inventor(s)
DEENADAYALAN, Krishnaswamy, Varadaraj
No.FC 59, Hal Township
Vimanapura P.O.
Bangalore
560 017
Karnataka
India
The telephone numbers and/or email addresses of the patent applicants and their patent attorneys are not provided in the patent applications. We recommend that you request any local patent attorney to assist you to contact patent applicants via their patent attorneys should you wish to obtain the manufacturing and/or marketing rights to their inventions.
Attorney(s)
ALAMELU, Vaidyanathan
451, 2nd Cross, 3rd Block, 3rd Stage
Basaveshwaranagar
Bangalore
560 79
Karnataka State
India
Note on viewers' participation
Viewers can provide feedback over a 24-hour period on their opinion of the market potential of the new idea. Feedback is supplied as is, whether negative or positive and unedited. The opinions expressed by viewers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Patentdata or its associates. New ideas featured are supplied for information purposes only. No guarantee or warranty of any nature is implied or given by Patentdata and its associates to users of the information.
Comments by Viewers
Whilst 'possibly' useful in low level urban falls, this idea has no use in a rockclimbing environment as the terrain below the faller is seldom, if ever, flat or level also passing impacts will often cause the the faller to reorientate from the back down position. In short - not a very well thought out idea. South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male


1 Usually no time to pull ripcord
2 Often land on sloping ground therefor a lot of bouncing and rolling
South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male


Nothing says the "victim" will land on their back + what is the deployment time for this device + what is the airbags resistence to puncture by sharp objects + + + South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Expert Knowledge: Expert
Post Grad Education: Post Grad
5 - 10 years Experience: 5 - 10 years
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male


What if you fall on your front, head or side. This is a really stupid device. You can't control falling and position yourself so that you land perfectly on your back. This device will also have a height limitation, a point will be reached where the size of the airbag and the amount gas compund needed to fill it and provide enough cushioning to protect the climber would become to large and heavy and would hinder the climber. South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male


Provided the person lands on their back, the device would be useless for any height greater than that of a fireman's ladder can reach. In my opinion, the idea is more suitable for firemen that could fall while climbing up and down ladders. Rather incorporate the device as part of the fire jacket's exterior lining to inflate on all sides during a fall .

South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
Post Grad Education: Post Grad
None Experience: None
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male


The problem occurs when the bag is inflated, wind resistance will flip the climber around so he'd land face first. Owch. South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male


This is the stupidest idea ever. A climbing fall occurs far to quickly for one to do anything except hit the ground unexpectedly. It also assumes that the ground below will be uniform. Climbers and rescue personnel use ropes, common sense and SRT for safety. Nothing else. South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Expert Knowledge: Expert
University Grad Education: University Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male


Once opened the lower weight to surface ratio of the airbag will cause the victim to turn around his centre of gravity and land face down. South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male


The climber will fall flat on his face and not on his back as predicted. South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
High School Education: High School
None Experience: None
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male


Do people when falling generally fall on their backs?...great idea though..also has potential for construction workers, painters etc South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male


what's to stop you from spinning around hitting the ground face first? South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
Other Education: Other
None Experience: None
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male


a fall is bad enough ... trying to control it and land on your back is even more difficult .Even worse is the whole idea... when something falls, its heaviest part/s tend to move to the bottom... ... thus the person would likely land on thier face and the cusion could be the cause of greater injury as it is lighter and the design shows it as flat, thus it would have a parachutte effect.... a better idea would be to some sort if mini gliding device, or something that would atleast slow the actual fall.. we all all know its not speed that kills , its the sudden stop... this applies to falling aswell South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male