Full development and product manufacturing start in ~ 12 months
Client – Battle Sports Science – A sporting goods company
Expertise Applied
- Product Design & Development
- Electronics Design
- Firmware Development
- Industrial Design
- Mechanical Design
- Enclosure Design
- User Interface Design
- Ruggedization
- Rapid Iterative Development Cycles: Build-Test-Learn
- Prototype Development
- Manufacturing Handoff
Problem
SGW Designworks was engaged by the client to provide full development and product manufacturing services for version 2.0 of this product: an impact-sensing chin cup for use while playing sports that would indicate when the user may have suffered a concussion.
Solution
The design effort included the parallel development of electronics, industrial design, and mechanical engineering. SGW Designworks carried the project through to manufacturing hand-off, including support during tooling production startup.
Results / Outcomes
- Multiple prototype and test cycles led to an optimized design, ready for launch
- Parallel mechanical and electronics engineering led to an elegant packaging approach
- DFM effort with the contract manufacturer ensured production units were cost-optimized
Overview
In order to hit tight timelines, the team focused on electronics and mechanical development in parallel. The mechanical team initially focused on industrial design. The product would need to incorporate a look that football players would be attracted to on store shelves. At the same time, the embedded systems team focused on form factor. Battery selection and power modelling becay a critical input to the ID effort, since the battery would be the largest component in the electronics package.
Once the aesthetics and electronics packaging were defined, the mechanical team turned to durability and impact mitigation. Material selection for prevent cracking was critical. Selection of the right foam, and shape for the foam element were also important to get right. The embedded team turned attention to the sensors and firmware. Proprietary algorithms for hit detection, magnitude calculation, and correlation to likelihood of concussion were developed and baked in to the system.
The project involved many design review points, at which we helped the client make critical functionality/cost balancing decisions. The entire development process was iterative, and we leveraged SLS, SLA, and FDM 3D printing technologies for extremely fast design iteration cycles.
| Hardware Developed | Technologies Leveraged |
|---|---|
| Impact-sensing and quantifying electronics | Solidworks FEA |
| Impact resistant plastic enclosure | SLA nd SLS 3D Printing |
| Shock absorbing foam insert | STM32 Microprocessor |