In Climbing, a same course can be solved in various way and skills. Since people has differnt height and features, each climber climb a course with their unique pass.

BUTTONGAME is a climbing assistant, which detects force on a holder. LED light glow to direction of force. Color show how much power on the holder.

Strong - Red
Middle - Green
Small - Blue

The Button Game provides systematic training programs through precise data feedback to climbers and helps build proper strategies for each diverse course.

How to detech force on holder. When force apply to holder, pressure create on sensor.

Pressure on sensor * LP = Dragging force * LF

To understand the kind of feedback needed, I brought mock-ups to the climbing gym and conducted various tests with climbers.

BUTTON GAME

Sport climbing is a young sport, officially included in the Olympics starting with the Tokyo 2020 Games, and continuously evolving. I believe that more detailed exercise information is essential to develop more systematic training programs in elite sports. Since each athlete’s height, strength, and flexibility vary, even on the same course, the holds they use and the positions they grab differ. Therefore, systematically recording is crucial. Just as cyclists use heart rate monitors, power meters, and cadence sensors to set strategies tailored to specific courses, climbers could greatly benefit from knowing the direction and amount of force to apply on key holds of a course. BUTTON GAME can provide this information which would help in formulating more structured strategies on different courses. Additionally, based on their body type and climbing style, climbers could get recommendations on better holds and optimal directions of force by BUTTON GAME likw data analysis asistane.

I focused on feedback from climbers. Initially, I focused on how the large button’s shape could be utilized in climbing, concentrating on the tactile sensation of pressing the button. Later, our focus shifted to the responsiveness when gripping, the mechanism for measuring force, and how to show feedback. To achieve this, I focused on minimizing data noise and determining the optimal placement of LEDs so they wouldn’t obstruct the climber’s view while holding the grip.


YEAR
2022 JAN - JUN

SOLO PROJECT
CATEGORY
SMART SPORT CLIMBING DEVICE

MATERIAL
PLASTIC, LED STRIP, PRESSURE SENSOR, METAL

ROLE
DESIGNER

SHOW
2022 RCA GRADUCATION SHOW, 2022 WIP SHOW