Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC by Travis Baldwin is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Bronze A' Design Award in Security, Safety and Surveillance Products Design Competition Category.
BronzeSecurity Products· 2020
Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC
Client: Travis Baldwin
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Security Products Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #103008The Design
About Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC
Carlsbad is a rugged mobile tablet computer designed for police and emergency use. Carlsbad allows rich mobile data to be used over the Tetra radio network in the United Kingdom and Europe, going beyond text and audio transmission. A tablet computer, an antenna, a radio and input and output ports are enclosed in molded urethane plastic covers with an integrated rubber bumper. The screen measures 10.1 inches. Finger grooves and a nylon hand strap support comfortable use while walking, and the sculpted rear form fits the hand during long patrols.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Grand Interview
Your innovative integration of ergonomic features in the Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC, particularly the hand-filling rear form and side finger grips, represents a significant advancement in mobile police technology - could you elaborate on how these design choices emerged from your field research and prototyping process?
Having designed many tablet PC over the years, there's always a pressure to create a slim & thin tablet with minimal material around the screen.. but there's some drawbacks for ergonomics. When a tablet has a thin border and slim profile, the fingers often have to cover the screen when holding the tablet and using it - the fingers need to be on that side for the hand to grip it. Another challenge is to lay out components to fit a slim, thin tablet profile, especially with lower volume prodution requiring more standardized parts inside. The Carlsbad improves the grip of the hand by creating a form that better fits the hand. The larger components were laid out to create a thick bump that the hand can grasp. Finger recesses improve the grip on the table. The strap adds extra protection from dropping.
The Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC stands out for balancing professional aesthetics with rugged functionality - what inspired your approach to creating a device that conveys technological sophistication while meeting the demanding requirements of emergency services?
The overall industrial design packaging of the components is a larger more graspable form rather than striving for the thinnest possible shape. This allows more space for ruggedization and drop protection within the form, rather than bumper features standing proud from the surface. The inspiration was to develop the tablet for a more comfortable hand-feel and for longer use in the hand, rather than specifications like thickness. The goal was to great a more comfortable tablet for extended use.
How did your experience with previous tablet prototypes influence the development of the Carlsbad Mobile Police TabletPC, especially regarding the integration of the rubber bumper feature and the decision to move away from a military-style appearance?
The rubber bumpers are part of the ruggedization and drop protection that's built into the larger form. This replaces the traditional strategy of adding large protruding bumps for protection and grip. The finger recess, straps, and convex shape of the table replace the bumps that are often added for grip in military or police products. Additional, from speaking to end-users, there is an appreciation for sleek designs as long as they are functionally the same as the more exaggerated traditional forms.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Carlsbad tetra mobile tablet PC for the police was designed to address a specific need: Allow the rich use of mobile data over the Tetra police radio network in the UK and Europe. This is one of the first Tetra radio equipped Tablet PCs. Beeching signed had to be organic, rugged and durable, and contain all the necessary components to allow Tetra radio access.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Carslsbad is 185mm x 310 mm x 60 mm in overall dimensions. The strap adds 15mm to the thickness, increasing it to 75mm thick. The screen is 10.1in. The tablet PC runs on Windows 7. The Tetra modem and antenna is based on the Cassidian TETRA LTE radio system.
- Tags
- Security, Police, Emergency, Tetra, TabletPC
- Production Technology
- The device integrates several internal components inside plastic covers: a tablet PC, antenna, radio, and io ports. Many of these are fully certified modules, allowing a more streamlined path to market since they don't need further certifications nor bespoke manufacture. Tetra Modem components were created specifically for this device. The plastic covers and buttons are rtv molded urethane plastic. The hand strap is nylon fabric.
- Design Challenge
- The creative challenge was creating a professional high-tech electronic device look, while maintaining fit-for-purpose functionality of a police or emergency device. Without care, the device could look overly functional and military. Carlsbad has a hand filling rear form, aided by a strap and side finger grips for comfortable in-hand use.
- Research
- Carlsbad is the result of several previous tetra-tablet prototypes, created and evaluated in the field to allow the iteration into this device. Thin modern tablets were not durable enough, so additionally protective housing was added as rubber integrated into the form. Long use of a device carried in the hand was found to be uncomfortable, therefore forms were sculpted in clay to determine an ergonomic shape, then re-created in SolidWorks. To further increase positive grip, a hnad strap and finger grooves were incorporated in the form.
- Inspiration
- The Carlsbad tablet PC is the combination of 5 to 7 Tablet PCs aimed at the specific Market. The Carlsbad is a streamlined shape, made to feel comfortable in the hand and to not catch on clothing when in Mobile use. The integrated rubber bumper feature does not add bulky bumps nor give a military or power tool feel... rather it is a sleek form that presents as a high-end technological device. The overall form was created to fit comfortably in the hand while walking.
- Project Duration
- The project started in December 2010, in Bristol and Swindon, UK. The project was completed in April 2011 and went into limited production in June 2011.
- Operation Flow
- Carlsbad was designed for mobile, on-foot use. During a police patrol, the device would be used while walking and standing, while interacting with onscreen mobile data needs. It allows use of rich data, beyond what would be available on traditional text or audio Tetra radio transmission. In emergency situations, the device works on a government network, so it would not experience the same data overload issues as a public network.
- Team Members
- Industrial Designer: Travis Baldwin
Engineer: Jonah Gubbay
Project Manager: Robert Lovelace - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Travis Baldwin, in hand, 2012.
Image #2: Designer Travis Baldwin, Carlsbad renderings, 2012.
Image #3: Photographer Travis Baldwin, in hand, 2012.
Image #4: Photographer Travis Baldwin, on tabel, 2012.
Image #5: Designer Travis Baldwin, Carlsbad renderings, 2012.
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