Talon Ski Bindings

A ten-month capstone project to design, manufacture, test, and present a ski-binding concept intended to reduce ACL injuries.

Period: 2023–2024
Role: Project manager and mechanical designer
Methods: SOLIDWORKS · Injection Molding · Testing · Leadership

A rendered pair of yellow skis fitted with Talon binding concepts

01 / Challenge

Engineering Challenge

Develop a novel safety mechanism within a fixed academic schedule and budget while balancing release behavior, user interaction, manufacturing, and a five-person team.

02 / Approach

Approach

I managed the program plan and budget, coordinated design and testing, and led the injection-molded component work. The team used prototypes, design reviews, analysis, and physical testing to refine the architecture.

03 / Result

Results

The project reached a tested, presented system with injection-mold-ready parts. Reviewers described the components as the best injection-mold-ready student work they had seen.

Key Outcomes

10 moconcept through validation

Led five engineers across a ten-month development cycle
Applied draft, wall-thickness, and undercut analysis for moldability
Connected technical design decisions to a clear user and business case

Section view through the Talon binding mechanism — Mechanism section used to communicate internal architecture.

SOLIDWORKS simulation result for a Talon component — Analysis supported iteration before committing to hardware.