Descent device with automatic and manual control

A descent device, comprising:

• a rigid housing having a rope inlet and a rope outlet;
• a shaft protruding through the rigid housing;
• an inlet capstan rigidly coupled to the rigid housing;
• a drive wheel attached to the shaft and coupled to a centrifugal brake, rotatable with respect to the rigid housing about a drive wheel axis and including a groove formed along an outer perimeter, wherein the groove has a first inner side wall, a second inner side wall, and a bottom, wherein a distance between the first and second inner side walls decreases from the outer perimeter to the bottom in a radial direction toward the drive wheel axis, and wherein at least a portion of a radial extent of the first and second inner side walls includes a pattern of protrusions on the first and second inner side walls to form an irregular rope path along the groove;
• an outlet capstan rigidly coupled to the rigid housing;
• and
• a rope path extending through the rope inlet, partially around the inlet capstan, partially around the groove of the drive wheel, partially around the outlet capstan, and through the rope outlet;
• wherein the pattern of protrusions is positioned alternately between the first and second inner side walls;
• and
• wherein the irregular rope path along the groove is a serpentine rope path, further comprising:
• an anvil rigidly coupled to the rigid housing, the anvil forming at least part of the rope inlet and at least part of the rope outlet;
• and a sliding cam, the sliding cam slidably coupled to the rigid housing, the sliding cam comprising an inlet face that forms at least part of the rope inlet and an outlet face that forms at least part of the rope outlet, the inlet face configured to compress a rope between the inlet face and the anvil when the inlet face is slid towards the anvil.