Life-Pack™ (available 2009)

Life-Pack is a "one-size-fits-all" controlled descent backpack device for rescuing almost any size person. The backpack contains a steel cable strong enough to hold an old VW Beetle and long enough to reach the ground. By a pre-installed evacuation window, each person one-after-the-other securely glides out after clipping their cable to an adjacent anchor box capable of supporting 20 tons. From any office floor, 125 people can exit from each evacuation opening (4/floor) in less than 15 minutes. While a person waits to exit, an included helmet filters out smoke, carbon monoxide, and other toxic gases. The backpack contains a proprietary mechanism that causes the cable to play out more slowly than any other automatic device so all floors can be evacuated at the same time and everyone (even thousands) can be safely on the ground in less than an hour.