All over the world, more than 10,000 skyscrapers stand at 100m or higher. The construction of high-rise buildings is seen as a sign of development. It is, therefore, not surprising that the number of skyscrapers around the world is on the increase and the trend is expected to continue. Safety is an important consideration when constructing high rise structures and regulations all over the world stipulate that standard emergency evacuation means should be provided. According to the SPARS website, the device is an ‘Autonomous Rescue Pneumo Transformable Chute Back-Pack System’ that provides a useful alternative when traditional evacuation methods are impossible.
Design and Features
SPARS is manufactured by Space Rescue Systems LLC, a Russian company that specializes in aerospace technology. Essentially, the device is an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator equipped with a ring parachute. The parachute is forced open by an inflatable frame that is integrated with airbags. The superior construction and attention to detail facilitates easy use and guarantees injury-free landing. According to the manufacturers, the device is also capable of floating on water and is reusable.
When completely assembled, SPARS weighs 25kg and the suspension system is easy to activate. This is particularly important as it is designed to be usable for everyone, even without prior training. The device can support anyone with weights ranging from 45 to 150 kg and it can safely evacuate individuals from buildings as high as 1000m. This makes it suitable for skyscrapers, offshore platforms, towers, and similar buildings.
What you get from SPARS
According to the official website of the manufacturers, the following are the benefits of SPARS:
- An alternative means of emergency escape
- Urgent evacuation of individuals from buildings as high as 1000m
- Protection from the elements and other external factors while descending
- Quick activation time (max 45-60 seconds)
- Self-sustained operation and the possibility of selecting an escape route of the user’s choosing
- Fully automated rescue procedure from the start to landing
- Ideal weight for a backpack-type device.
How to use
As mentioned earlier, using SPARS is easy and straightforward. Simply follow the following steps as stated on the website:
- Put on the backpack container
- Engage the locking rib and leg straps
- Select the optimal escape route
- Engage the front-safety tether
- Sit on the windowsill with your back to the street while securing the safety tether
- Pull the handle
Pricing info
Information available on the manufacturer’s website shows that the company is currently searching for partners that would aid the final production and marketing of SPARS.
Startup
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to become registered, startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow large beyond the solo founder. At the beginning, startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure, but a minority of them do go on to be successful and influential. Some startups become unicorns; that is privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion.
Actions
Startups typically begin by a founder (solo-founder) or co-founders who have a way to solve a problem. The founder of a startup will begin market validation by problem interview, solution interview, and building a minimum viable product (MVP), i.e. a prototype, to develop and validate their business models. The startup process can take a long period of time (by some estimates, three years or longer), and hence sustaining effort is required. Over the long term, sustaining effort is especially challenging because of the high failure rates and uncertain outcomes. Having a business plan in place outlines what to do and how to plan and achieve an idea in the future. Typically, these plans outline the first 3 to 5 years of your business strategy.
Design principles
Models behind startups presenting as ventures are usually associated with design science. Design science uses design principles considered to be a coherent set of normative ideas and propositions to design and construct the company's backbone. For example, one of the initial design principles is "affordable loss".
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