The Modular Combat Helmet is a proof-of-concept for a longer-range military development project. The helmet shown is the inner layer of a two-layer design; the outer layer providing ballistic protection. We were tasked with integrating crash helmet level protection with a new state-of-the-art liner system, and military-standard communications components. We developed the helmet design and CAD geometry that produced the basic FDM prototype shells. All final detailing was completed by hand in our workshop.
The SpotCell 2500Xe is a high-performance antenna system that boosts wireless signals and ensures reliable indoor coverage for cell phones, PDAs and 3G laptop air cards. Our design task was typical of the challenge presented in “productizing” a new, disruptive technology. These antenna housings, while providing new functionality, required a crisp yet unobtrusive appearance that at the same time delivered a differentiated brand image. It appears we were successful.
With the acquisition of test and measurement equipment manufacturer Acterna in 2005, JDS Uniphase initiated new product development that integrated JDS and Acterna’s technologies. We worked on the new Multiple Application Platform product line, providing ID both for the portable benchtop MAP 200 shown, and the mainframe configurations.
Safety Turtle products are industry-leading alarms focused on swimming pool safety for children. A “last line of defense” after supervision and pool perimeter barriers, the Turtle wrist-band immersion alarm and Gate Alarm each signal emergency conditions to a strategic base station in the home. Our involvement with Terrapin encompasses industrial design and plastics component design, technology integration, and product strategy. In 2005 Terrapin received the prestigious Ernest C. Manning Award for Innovation.
We were responsible for the user-centered aspects of the Taurus® Portable Seismograph, resolving interface features and layout, setting the connector array, and designing package characteristics that respond to the rugged conditions under which Taurus would be used. CNC machined from solid aluminum, all major package components perform duty as both high precision EMI-proof housings for sophisticated electronic systems, and as a tough but elegant barrier against impact and moisture.
Iomega, leader in innovative storage and network security solutions partnered with Celestica for new development initiatives with their Portable Drive and Network Storage products. We were assigned the task of developing concepts that would respond to a set of demanding marketing and manufacturing challenges. The concepts shown, though highly valid from an appearance point-of-view, didn’t make the development cut. Others did.
This consumer lighting system capitalizes on the use and installation advantages offered by low-voltage power. In partnership with a small entrepreneurial company and an offshore contract manufacturer, we developed a system that installs quickly, without requiring tools or electrical expertise. We were responsible for industrial design, mechanical design, technology integration, and manufacturing liaison. Connexx is sold in home DIY stores throughout the USA.
Our challenge in designing the housing for the DMR-200 was to create a watertight housing that was economical to assemble and install by a non-technical worker. We developed a gasketed inner cavity, which protects the antenna and electronics, while internal pressure variances remain controlled by a tiny Goretex-covered vent. An innovative mounting plate that isolates the housing from its mounting points limits stresses during installation as well as long-term articulation of the “platform”.
Over the past several years we have worked with the Royal Canadian Mint on Marketing projects for specialty coin packaging and commemorative awards. Among our favorite projects, involving one-offs and production pieces, are The Year of the Volunteer award for the United Nations, presentation cases for Transportation themed coins, and The Millennium Coin Set limited edition case. In all our work we collaborated closely with the Mint’s Art Director, Anthony Testa.
Developed by Andromed, the Stethos electronic stethoscope has been marketed worldwide by Phillips Medical Systems. This innovative product redefines a fundamental diagnostic tool for the medical community by offering features such as direct reading of heart rate, bell or diaphragm mode selection, and volume setting. The familiar stethoscope format responds to demands from doctors for continuity of patient-centered familiarity, traditional procedures, and over-the-neck or in-the-pocket storage.
