Scaleta
Bouldering wall
2015
This project was developed as part of the ergonomics course at CIDI-UNAM. The aim of this course was to design a tool to fight obesity among Mexican children at school and built a functional prototype to test the physical activity made by children while using it.
It is a collaborative project between Andrea Naranjo, Laura Obregón, and Ramses Viazcán.
Mexico is a country with one of the highest youth obesity rates worldwide. School plays a huge role in preventing childhood obesity by encouraging activities that support healthy behaviors.
Unfortunately, in Mexico, this is not the case. School is all about competition and those who don't have enough abilities are left apart. This project was developed to help fight this critical situation.
Scaleta encourages kids to team up and keep themselves active in school. It is based on a bouldering wall, where kids can have fun without noticing the physical work they are doing, plus the emotion of teamwork with a common goal.
Scaleta cannot be used individually, it is necessary for 2 kids to climb simultaneously helping each other.
1. Connected handlers
Kids must communicate with each other to move simultaneously in the same direction.
2. Mirror feet holders
Kids from both sides need to push or pull them at the same time so that both can move forward.
We collected anthropometric data using a modular mock-up that helped us observe and measure kids in different positions while climbing. We also interviewed professors, children, and their parents regarding habits, needs, and preferences for keeping a healthy lifestyle among children.
Based on the data recovered, we built a full-scale prototype to measure the different positions and extensions that kids made while using a bouldering wall and obtain the appropriate dimensions to incorporate them into the design of Scaleta.
Scaleta requires great concentration and coordination, it challenges not only physical but mental and emotional abilities. It can be mastered by kids with different physical characteristics because the key is technique and not strength.