Rock Climbing Phone Case
Often on long “multi-pitch” (several rope-length) climbing routes, I need to bring my phone for route finding, taking pictures, playing music, or communicating in an emergency. The leg loops on my harness make it difficult to get my phone out of my pockets when I need to use the screen. I also worry constantly about dropping my phone off a cliff. This phone case is my first effort at solving these problems.
After considering my needs, I settled on the following design criteria: secure closure with a locking carabiner; access to the home button and most of the screen; lightweight and non-bulky; access to the camera and headphone jack. After some iteration, I chose a design with eight flat parts – each with a unique profile – assembled like Lincoln logs to form the two halves of the case. This made for a light but sturdy cage that was easy to manufacture. I was able to rapidly prototype my design on a laser cutter before making the final version out of aluminum.
This project was done on my own time in the Stanford Product Realization Lab. I tested my designs with laser-cut Duron. The final version was made from 0.125” aluminum on a manual mill and was anodized in a bulk order with other Stanford students’ projects.
Often on long “multi-pitch” (several rope-length) climbing routes, I need to bring my phone for route finding, taking pictures, playing music, or communicating in an emergency. The leg loops on my harness make it difficult to get my phone out of my pockets when I need to use the screen. I also worry constantly about dropping my phone off a cliff. This phone case is my first effort at solving these problems.
After considering my needs, I settled on the following design criteria: secure closure with a locking carabiner; access to the home button and most of the screen; lightweight and non-bulky; access to the camera and headphone jack. After some iteration, I chose a design with eight flat parts – each with a unique profile – assembled like Lincoln logs to form the two halves of the case. This made for a light but sturdy cage that was easy to manufacture. I was able to rapidly prototype my design on a laser cutter before making the final version out of aluminum.
This project was done on my own time in the Stanford Product Realization Lab. I tested my designs with laser-cut Duron. The final version was made from 0.125” aluminum on a manual mill and was anodized in a bulk order with other Stanford students’ projects.
