Labor-saving system for Poincare Handheld Laser Scanner
Duration: 1 month;
Team: Kaihuang Chen, Tianrui Xie
Responsibility: Belt Softgood & Hardgood design, modeling & product rendering, ergonomic research & testing, physical mockup, CMF…
Context
REALSEE is trying to develop a labor-saving system for its latest handheld Poincare laser scanner (designed by LeapX) to be used for an extended time.
What’s on market?
Since there isn’t any reference for a hand-held scanner labor-saving system yet, we referenced and bought some cameras labor-saving system as a starting point.
When using a strap system, the closer the scanner is to the body, the more stable it becomes.
Some belts seem to be lacking ergonomic inclusivity. Sizing becomes an issue.
Painpoints.
After a period of testing, we found some painpoints were quite disturbing. Partially it’s because they are not designed for hand-held scanners.
The string system lacks stability which causes the device to shake and twist. It also starts to hurt the shoulders when worn for a long period of time.
The docks on the market are generally in 360-degree movement. However, the Poincare scanner only requires vertical movement. The existing docks will cause unnecessary instability.
The vest system can be confusing in terms of direction. Users wear it inside-out and upside-down very often throughout testing. Can also be time-consuming when wearing.
Belts are visually heavy and complex, making their functionality unclear to users.
Goals:
Reduce labor & pressure on the body
Easy and quick dismounting and wearing.
Redesign the dock to adapt to the scanner
Reasonable Ergonomics Consideration
Reduce the visual elements for ease of use
We came up with several different architectures to discuss with the clients.
Direction 1:
Direction 2:
Direction 3:
Physical mockups
We made mockups to test out the comfort and usability level of the above-mentioned 3 directions. The third direction received the highest feedback from the user testing.
Ergonomics
We consulted Humanscale manual to determine the ideal range of adjustments for the system.
We covered the measurements of 2.5%-97.5% percentile of males (in terms of body size). Including shoulder width, waistline, Hip circumference, shoulder thickness…
Chosen Direction
Through user testing and consulting with clients, this direction stands out to us the most in that it excels in efficiency and comfort without sacrificing too much on cost.
The mechanism catches shoulder so there’s no need for wearing a vest.
The mechanism can also be folded when not in use.
The exterior is clad in mixed wool, a material that withstands severe conditions and usage while maintaining its cleanliness. Moreover, this type of wool is more environmentally sustainable than alternative materials.
The mechanism allows for single-direction rotation. The tension is also adjustable by a hexagon screw driver.
The back panel is able to slide across the ribbon to increase the flexibility and fit better to the waist. .
We decided to use Fidlock SnapBuckle Flat 40 for quick dress and disassembly and also to achieve the minimum clean look.