One thing I love about NeoCon is its occasional orientation towards the “behind-the-scenes” side of things. Last year we saw examples of this emphasis on putting things together with Veritas’ Resin Art, Urban Archaeology’s Recycled Tile, and TMC’s Handcrafted Furniture. Products like these give a glimpse into assembly and manufacturing, which is often a much-needed refresher for yours truly, since it can be easy to forget that construction of one kind or another is behind every A & D product we review.

Lift Pod. Designed by JLG Industries.

So I was happy to see JLG Industries‘ LiftPod among our line-up of pre-show coverage. An easy-to-transport, easy-to-assemble, operator-friendly, and incredibly versatile new tool to add to the arsenals of contractors everywhere, LiftPod promises a safe and convenient option to the frequently clumsy and occasionally dangerous status quo formerly referred to as ladders and scaffolding.

The LiftPod not only eschews the unwieldy set-up and imprecise positioning of ladders in favor of a 14-foot high, 360 degree workspace that achieves the exact vantage you desire, it does so in a surprisingly compact package that can be quite easily handled by a single person. And before you make the same short-sighted supposition I did (“oh yea, maybe a beefy, construction-guy type person”), have a look at JLG’s product video. You’ll quickly observe that the person in question is a rather slim female, captured on tape deftly unloading and setting-up LiftPod’s 63 lb. base, 49 lb. mast, 33 lb. platform, and 18 lb. powerpack. According to JLG, assembly of LiftPod takes the average worker 30 seconds, which means that in about the time you’d remove the tie-downs and just begin to heft the clunky bulk of an 18 ft. extension ladder, you could be comfortably ensconced in the cozy confines of Lift Pod’s platform and protective carriage, primed for an easy ascent into the either via a simple push on the trigger of an 18 volt drill.

LiftPod is CSA- and ANSI-compliant. Its high-tensile Dyneema Lifting Ropes (made from “High Modulus Polyethylene”) and aircraft quality aluminum and steel construction make the unit exceptionally strong. The platform can hoist and supports up to 330 lbs., which means that Lift Pod is up to 70% more stable than an equivalent height step ladder. Other safety features of note include inward-opening gates, a manual descent feature, and a lanyard attachment anchor. Add various convenient perks like variable speed elevation controls, the optional 28V powerpack, and an attachable accessory tray, and I’d say JLG is well on the way to proving the case they make for Lift Pod: “the perfect tool to help improve job safety in almost every building, industry or application, including retail, public works, utilities, colleges and universities, military and government, industrial, commercial, and aviation and fleet maintenance.”