Juliet Mandell
Alpinight
Alpinight is a personal protection and integrative lighting system that aims to simplify gear and weight management while optimizing the multi-pitch climbing experience. Beyond mere utility, Alpinight's aesthetics aim to incentivize the safer and more responsible climbing habit of wearing a helmet. As a designer and climber, I saw the need for a product that promotes safe climbing, while giving climbers a sense of confidence both on and off the wall. Thus, my approach to designing Alpinight was to curb some of the stigmas around helmets by creating a product that climbers would want to wear. The Alpinight helmet features a sleek, minimalist design that instills confidence in the climber without drawing unnecessary attention. Its strategically positioned vents and adjustable fitting system ensure maximum comfort with extended use. The Alpinight headlamp features a similarly minimalist design, that visually and functionally merges with the Alpinight helmet. The headlamp features a one-handed and blind connection through a magnetic attachment system. This mechanism enables reliable lighting on the wall, as well as off when it is removed from the helmet and attached to another accessory mount.
Alpinight’s helmet and headlamp function seamlessly as a system or independently.
The Alpinight helmet was designed to be visually appealing from all angles.
The Alpinight helmet is designed to both visually and functionally act as an extension of the user.
The Alpinight headlamp, like the Alpinight helmet, is designed to be visually appealing from all angles.
The Alpinight headlamp is designed to function on its own, or while attached to an accessory via its magnetic mounting plate. Here, the Alpinight headlamp is being worn on an optional headband accessory.
Alpinight was designed with real-world manufacturing processes in mind. This annotated cross-sectional image identifies the main components that make up Alpinight, and the more prominent manufacturing processes involved.
Alpinight comes in a variety of colors that aim to resonate with the natural environment. These color options include “Ocean”, “Copper”, “Berry”, “Forest”, “Ice”, and “Obsidian”.
Alpinight is designed to provide utility both through the day and the night.
This 3D-printed and primed prototype illustrates the Alpinight headlamp’s portability.
Alpinight involved significant development through renderings, diagrams, physical prototypes, and finally, two primed-ABS models, which are pictured here.