Technology company Ubisense and technical product designers DesignEdge are about to release the third generation of the location solutions product that has gone from an idea to being used by half of the top ten car manufacturers (including every Mini and every BMW 3 Series), warehouses, car parks, football stadiums and most recently for a performance of Tosca at Royal Albert Hall to track performers on stage to ensure the acoustic sound hit the ears of the audience before the amplified sound.
When it came to the design, Ubisense made the decision early on to give the aesthetics of the sensor and tags an aspirational feel and this has paid off. According to Ubisense Founder and Director of Hardware Paul Webster these opportunities would not have come about without a design that would be at home on a consumer product. “If the sensor had been a horrible grey box we would never have got the opportunities we have. The design is functional but still maintains an aesthetically pleasing unit that fits into a wide variety of deployments.”
In the early days, when tracking technology could have been seen as a big brother type threat the thinking behind the design was to make it friendly and unthreatening. “It was all about soft edges and fluidity,” says Paul. Since then as different uses have emerged and the fear factor disappeared the design has evolved and for generation three every tiny detail has been catered for. With more and more uses appearing, the way the sensor is put together has also changed, with it now being a modular build centering around a moulded sub-assembly for the electronics from which the appropriate outer covers are customisable. “This optimises the build process so it is more sensible,” explains Paul.
Changes to the product over the years have also included the development of a bracket that can be installed one handed (it even has an internal spirit level). The requirement for an attractive looking product even goes down to the inside of the unit. “If customers have had a look inside the unit they are usually very impressed,” adds Paul. “Every fine detail is planned meticulously.”
Adds DesignEdge’s Alasdair Barnett : “From the beginning the design was about keeping the products as small, neat and unobtrusive as possible. But as the technology has developed and become more complex the design has become simpler. All the features in the design are there for a very specific reason. For example the design incorporated the development of a multi-adjustable bracket for different installations, whilst the sensor can be sealed against ingress to IP69K which can withstand dust, high temperature and high pressure water.”
Adds Paul Webster. “If people go on a tour of a car plant or if it appears on TV when a car plant is being filmed it promotes the brand.” Future plans are likely to see even more exposure for the brand. Ubisense is now looking to use the technology to help early stage dementia sufferers or those with other cognitive impairments to stay in their own homes for longer. “The technology has gone from being able to track the location of a person or object to being able to do something when it locates them,” says Paul. “This could mean flagging up an issue if, for example, a person isn’t walking properly.”
As far as the future beyond that goes Paul always looks to science fiction for ideas. “Such as in Minority Report when a computerised image asks Tom Cruise how his jeans are working out as he enters Gap”. And you can guarantee the message will be coming from a beautifully detailed and finely honed unit!
About DesignEdge
DesignEdge delivers an integral industrial design and mechanical engineering services to industries ranging from medical devices and consumer goods to precision instrumentation. We combine rapid development techniques with an in-depth knowledge of aesthetics, ergonomics and user insight, developing compelling products from concept visualisation to full commercialisation.
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DesignEdge Cambridge Ltd, Unit 5, Quy Court, Colliers Lane, Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridge, CB25 9AU.
info@designedge.co.uk, www.designedge.co.uk or call 01223 566439.
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