RopeAscender
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Version three of the Atlas rope ascender goes commercial
We were impressed with Atlas Devices' Rope Ascender when we saw it earlier this year, but the company, run by 24-year-old Nathan Ball, has refined the original design and is ready to start marketing the third generation of the device. Hack A Day got to play with one and they found that the new version is not only easier to use and less damaging to the rope, but also lighter and more efficient. Atlas is initially pitching these at the military, but we can see these being huge hits with the high school gym class market.
The Atlas Rope Ascender -- don't tell the Mystery Men
In a solid bid for "the most awesomest thing ever that you probably can't afford and have little use for" title of the year, Atlas Devices' has unveiled this new Rope Ascender thing which can propel a 250-pound load -- including your sorry hiney -- 600 feet into the air at a blistering 10 feet per second. The device weighs 20 pounds, and has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Dodge Viper, according to Nathan Ball, a 23-year-old grad student at MIT who spearheaded the project along with three other colleagues. Originally based on power drill batteries and weighing 25 pounds, the device was initially designed for a MIT competition, but has blossomed into the Atlas Devices company, which continues to develop and market the unit. Obviously, special ops and rescue workers are the natural target for this "reverse rappelling," but we're sure a wannabe superhero or three will figure out something a tad more interesting and / or ill-advised to do with the thing. Peep an action vid along with another pic after the break.[Via gizmag]Read - Atlas Devices official siteRead - Ask inventor Nathan Ball a question
