While avalanches are certainly violent natural disasters, the most harmful aspect for people caught in them is the potential to be buried under the snow and debris, but the Arc'teryx Voltair is a safety system that reduces that risk. The backpack comes with an electrically inflating bubble, similar to a car's airbag, to keep hikers and climbers at the top of snow drifts.
The Arc'teryx Voltair takes advantage of a physical principle known as granular convection. According to the principle, when a fluid with variously sized particles is shaken or vibrated, the largest particles will rise to the top. The principle is also known as the Brazil nut effect, due to Brazil nuts often rising to the top of mixed nut bowls.
By inflating with air, the Arc'teryx Voltair makes the person wearing it significantly larger without being any heavier. Thanks to the Brazil nut effect, they thus have a far better chance of staying at the snow's surface and getting rescued after an avalanche.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Electric Inflating Safety Systems
- The Arc'teryx Voltair utilizes the technology of electrically inflating bubbles as a safety measure in natural disasters like avalanches, presenting an opportunity for the development of more advanced safety systems in other industries.
- Granular Convection Applications
- The principle of granular convection, as demonstrated by the Arc'teryx Voltair, opens up possibilities for the application of this physical phenomenon in various industries, such as material handling, food processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Enhancing Rescue Gear
- The introduction of the Arc'teryx Voltair backpack highlights the need for disruptive innovation in the field of rescue gear, prompting opportunities for companies to create advanced and more effective equipment for outdoor enthusiasts and emergency responders.
Where This Applies
- Outdoor Gear
- The Arc'teryx Voltair backpack falls within the outdoor gear industry, showcasing the potential for disruptive innovations in safety equipment for hikers, climbers, and adventurers.
- Automotive
- The electric inflating technology used in the Arc'teryx Voltair draws inspiration from car airbags, suggesting the automotive industry could explore disruptive innovations in safety systems for vehicle occupants.
- Search and Rescue
- The Arc'teryx Voltair demonstrates the potential for enhancements in search and rescue equipment, paving the way for disruptive innovations in the search and rescue industry to improve the chances of survival during natural disasters.
