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Grooved Shoulder Device GSD
The device would protect the shoulders from bangs, bumps, and rubs when resting a triangle control frame (TCF) downtube on the upper arm and shoulder joint region. Bruises and bone bruises would be reduced, especially for hang glider pilot who do many launches, wing carries, and wing runs in a day's session. GSD would have a groove on its surface center to allow the downtube to rest centered.
There would be less injury and work to carry wings longer distances.
My first target would be a three-layered GSD. The layer first facing the shoulder would be a pad; then would be some harder pressure-spreading plating; then the top would be grooved pad. Such might be bonded to a first tee-shirt and maybe topped with another tee-shirt. I await some entrepreneur to offer up GSDs in various sizes. In other sports there are shoulder guards. The GSD for hang gliding with TCFs.
How many shoulder mini-bangs from the downtubes result in injuries? My day last year with 20 launches with the Condor at Dockweiler and 20 sand-walk carry-wing-backs resulted in a shoulder injury that is now many months uncured. A well-designed and made GSD would have been a help in avoiding the over-work injury.
Tissues of the shoulder: https://cdn2.omidoo.com/sites/default/f ... 298685.jpg
