Hazardous gas monitor for Industrial Scientific
Redesigning a successful gas detector for an industry leader.
Designed and developed in 2013, this gas detector is sold globally. It is used while performing maintenance work in hazardous environments. It detects presence of hazardous gases and warns personnel in the vicinity to evacuate the facility. It contains swapable sensor modules, a low-voltage screen and high visibility alarms.
Manufacturer: Industrial Scientific
In production since 2015 (USD$6300)
Role
Lead designer and project manager, Senior Industrial Designer, Daedalus, Pittsburgh, PA
Rethinking the design of a successful product.
The BM25
The BM25 had been Industrial Scientific’s go-to product offering for over 30 years. It was rugged and had great reviews in the industry. Our task was to update and re-imagine the device. The project began with extensive field research and use case development.
Exploratory workshops.
We began the project by inviting key engineering, business and marketing stakeholders into the studio. This served as an information and brief gathering exercise. It also helped to align with Industrial Scientific team on project objectives, key functionalities and considerations.
Concept exploration
The kick off workshops helped arrive at a brief for a product. It would feature a screen, house new gas detectors, be open to both peer to peer and wireless connectivity while containing a rechargeable battery. This object needed to perform in rugged, hazardous environments and be an alarm system that informs people to get away from the site.
Concept refinement: Inspired by the safety cone
The concept got further refined in CAD based on internal components and volume considerations. Forms were explored to give the product a sense of something that safe guards users while being something to steer clear of when active. Hence, the ‘safety cone’ eventually inspired the overall form.
Concept testing & development for production
Multiple prototypes were produced and tested during development. Testing protocols included general ergonomics, drop tests, auditory & visual alarm effectiveness and chemical ingress considerations. The final design was built to be robust yet user friendly. Servicing and maintenance considerations were key to product success and multiple components were designed to be swappable.
Product release video.
The product had to meet multiple safety, maintenance and ingress requirements before being certified for market release. This is now Industrial Scientific’s flagship product.
