Rigging the Future: Rethinking Parachute Packing
Our 2024 Capstone project has officially kicked off!
This project is a culmination of everything we have learned this year at Carnegie Mellon in our MHCI program. The master of human-computer interaction has taught us fundamentals like design skills, the ability to conduct user research, and programming. We are paired with a client who provides us with an open-ended design problem, giving us the opportunity to apply all of our skills. Our client is the Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department, or ADFSD for short. They operate out of Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia as one of five US Army quartermaster schools, training personnel for important jobs such as packing parachutes. These specialists, called parachute riggers, are the main user we have to empathize with in our problem space. Parachute packing is slow and painstaking work, because one error could lead to someone losing their life. We have been tasked with improving this process, especially error detection, so that ADFSD can produce error-free parachutes more efficiently.
Who are we?
We are the Skydivers, a team of 4 talented and ambitious students:
Jennifer Davis is an aspiring UX Designer, she majored in biology and environmental science from Bucknell University in 2020. She worked at Nextera Energy Resources for over 2 years, before going through a career change.
Kyle Kawakami is a product designer who previously graduated in 2021 with a degree in Graphic Design from Chapman University before working in streetwear art directing events in Los Angeles as well as in the water polo industry designing custom suits, social media marketing, and their e-commerce website.
Savani Mengawade is a product designer with a background in computer science. She began her journey as a self-taught designer and worked in FinTech and healthcare before coming to MHCI.
Alex Pravat is a product designer with a focus on AR/XR experiences. His previous work at Meta Reality Labs and various healthcare domains drive a deep commitment to developing solutions that enhance human-digital interactions.
Research
Diving headfirst into the 2024 Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department MHCI Capstone, our first mission was to understand the problem space. With a broad mandate to explore how advanced technology like robotics and AI can redefine aerial delivery systems, we had to anchor our research in the current landscape. Our client became our starting point. We delved into their role and context in the US Army, asking questions like:
- Who are they? What are the various departmental roles?
- How is the ADFSD structured, and does this structure lean more towards hierarchy or collaboration?
- In understanding the chain of command, who are the key stakeholders involved?
- For a complex structure, how do the responsibilities and support systems interlink?
Additionally, we aimed to uncover new dimensions with questions like:
- How does the ADFSD adapt to new technologies and evolving processes?
- What does the future look like for the ADFSD?
Our research revealed the multifaceted nature of this department, with roles ranging from Parachute Rigger (MOS 92R) to Senior Airdrop Systems Technician (MOS 921A). The relationships quickly became complicated, so we organized the stakeholders with a simple org chart.
Each role has their specialized training and responsibilities, and distinguishing features (like red hats for NCO inspectors). We learned about the meticulous process of parachute packing and inspection, as well as each member’s critical role in the process.
One of the most engaging aspects of our secondary research was delving into video content. We watched hours of footage, from military training exercises to airdrop missions. These videos brought to life the dynamics of parachute rigging and deployment processes, allowing us to observe the intricate details and human factors involved. We saw firsthand the precision required in packing parachutes, the adrenaline of high-altitude jumps, and the critical moments of parachute deployment.
In pursuit of analogous domains to inform our research, we looked beyond the military context to commercial and recreational activities, such as skydiving and BASE jumping, where parachute packing is a common thread. We also ventured into less obvious territories, such as packing techniques for sleeping bags (made of nylon; hard to repack), tents and tarps (large surface area; various folds) and automotive airbags (rapid deployment; life & death). These domains, while distinct in their applications, share underlying principles with military parachute packing.
It became evident that our challenge was not in the scarcity of data, but rather in sifting through the abundance for the most relevant findings. This early on, there is no wrong place to look. It’s important to remain open in our quest for knowledge, absorbing information from every possible source.
Kickoff!
Our kick-off began with introductions and a lighthearted icebreaker. As our client shared their experiences about the worst technology they have encountered, the discussion naturally gravitated towards the ADFSD technologies, initiating a broader conversation about the system’s manual intricacies and the need for a revamp. This laid a solid foundation, infusing energy and purpose into our meeting. Our first activity, the “Bull’s-eye Activity,” was a strategic choice driven by the goal to understand both the problem space and our client’s goals regarding ADFSD. This simple activity became a platform for discussions on our client’s vision, ensuring everyone was on the same page.
We started by talking about the project’s general goals. We afterwards spoke about common system flaws, concerns stakeholders have, and common failure points in the parachute packing procedure. We identified the need for system improvement through these conversations and our follow-up questions, which we noted on our sticky notes. Following that, we reviewed each note collectively and ranked the priorities from most to least important. We were able to understand our clients’ point of view on this project by working through this exercise with them. This also led to discussions on what success means to them, which was crucial for us to know so that we could proceed effectively and understand what our clients anticipated from the completion of the project.
The second thing we did in the afternoon was “Abstraction Laddering.” One of our main priorities for this kick-off, which was to conduct divergent thinking on the problem space, was perfectly suited for this exercise. The straightforward problem statement from the “Bulls-Eye Activity” serves as the starting point for this activity. From there, all we do is ask “Why?” Once our “Why?” is established, we continue to ask “Why?” until we identify the core issue underlying our problem statement. We then begin to question “How?” in order to formulate our problem statement. We keep going in this manner until we reach our issue statement’s most implausible last “How?”. This exercise taught us that the ADFSD problem space is not filled with enough people to fold parachutes, but rather it is supported by outside forces, which inspired our team to come up with additional inventive ways to aid automate the procedure.
Our kickoff generated incredibly valuable findings. The main problems ADSFD was facing was a lack of manpower–they typically can’t keep their facility at full rigger capacity, and even if they could, they are not reaching their desired packing speeds. This puts a strain on current riggers and spreads them thinner, leading to more errors. Riggers are also human–they have physical limitations and also have a fairly monotonous job, which can lead to complacency and, typically, more errors. This can lead to problems like tools being left in packed parachutes, which poses safety issues. In addition, riggers get moved to other positions at times, so when they return to parachute packing, their skills have degraded.
Next Steps
Our next step is to see parachute packing in action! We will travel down to Fort Gregg-Adams and watch parachute riggers as they work. By observing the riggers in their work environment, we hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of all of the steps that go into their jobs, which is hard to get from secondary research alone. We also plan on stopping for some sightseeing — our team is looking forward to exploring what Virginia has to offer!
This project is not intended to contribute to generalizable knowledge and is not human subjects research.
