Arc Device Charging Center by James Henderson is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Bronze A' Design Award in Office and Business Appliances Design Competition Category.
BronzeOffice Appliance· 2022
Arc Device Charging Center
Client: Arc
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Office Appliance Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #138429The Design
About Arc Device Charging Center
Arc is a charging and management kiosk for handheld mobile devices issued to employees. Arc stores each device in a locker made of powder-coated steel, keeping devices secure from unauthorized users. A 17 inch touchscreen supports employee self-service, while a wide-lens camera and badge scanning record every checkout and return. Modular bays allow expansion as device numbers grow. An active cooling system manages heat, and a backup battery keeps the kiosk running during power outages. Arc helps companies keep devices charged and ready for daily work.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Arc Device Charging Center 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. Arc Device Charging Center 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. Arc Device Charging Center splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- An intelligent mobile device management system in one centralized kiosk. Modular to support device growth, the heavy-gauge steel lockers keep devices safe and unauthorized users out. A 17 inch touchscreen facilitates employee self-service, and a wide-lens security camera and RFID enforce user compliance. Integrated OptiCharge Technology ensures the maximum allowable charge is delivered to each device. A backup battery keeps the ARC kiosk running during power outages.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The base Arc kiosk unit is 72 Inches in Height x 19 Inches in Depth x 12 Inches in Width and weighs 112lbs. The modular expansion units are 72 x 28 x 12 inches and weigh 61lbs. The base kiosk features a 17 inch built-in touch screen display with bar scan and camera.
- Tags
- Enterprise charging, mobile device, asset management, mobile device management
- Production Technology
- A 20-gauge powder-coated steel structure. Device lockers feature plexiglass windows and are engineered to ensure WiFi 2.4, 5.0 GHz signals can reach devices inside the lockers. A scanning device reads a bar code or QR code on both employee badges and devices to track who is accessing devices and lockers. A built-in camera takes photos throughout the checkout and return processes for a secondary level of security and accountability. An active cooling system manages heat dissipation, so devices maintain ideal temperatures in enclosed charging spaces. Modular bays support expansion for more devices and shifting enterprise needs.
- Design Challenge
- Arc is designed to support different employee behaviors, device types, and charge durations with a simple, secure back-end user portal. Other challenges included airflow for active heat dissipation and successful WiFi 2.4, 5.0 GHz connectivity. The system required sheet metal manufacturing expertise and 3D virtual simulation of cumulative heat impact of many devices charging in a vertical stack.
- Research
- Thermal simulations helped Design 1st understand heat dissipation throughout the kiosk structure. With many devices charging, the upper lockers were at risk of excessive heat. Thermal simulation data helped influence the geometry of the final sheet metal including cut outs in the metal for air flow, an interior fan and chimney to create an active cooling system. A lab unit was prototyped representing locker compartments and device locations. The window size was manipulated to verify WiFi 2.4, 5.0 GHz connections were achievable from devices inside the kiosk.
- Inspiration
- Companies that issue enterprise handheld mobile devices to employees for daily jobs struggle to ensure devices are charged, functioning and ready to use when employees need them. Overseeing check-in and check-out of devices, faulty units, and dealing with loss costs organizations millions of dollars each year. ARC (Asset Recharge Center) was inspired by the need for an aesthetic, locker-based, expandable device management kiosk with intelligent software that can track, secure, and manage devices for employees.
- Project Duration
- THE Arc Kiosk was conceptualized by ChargeitSpot in the spring of 2021 with select product development guidance from Design 1st. The project kicked off in September 2021, and initial manufacture-ready design concepts were finalized shortly thereafter. A pre-production prototype, representing the final product design for low volume distribution, was unveiled at the Modex supply chain automation show in March 2022 and met with great enthusiasm from businesses.
- Operation Flow
- A simple, touch-screen interface authenticates users and allows access to fully charged devices. To operate, an employee scans their badge using the built-in bar code scanner, selects the device required, and a locker releases the device with the highest charge. The process is repeated at return; employees scan their badges to access the locker, scan the device, report any damage or malfunction, connect the device, and close the locker door.
- Patents
- Patented. US20210265843A1. ChargeItSpot LLC. 2021. United States
- Team Members
- James Henderson, Senior Industrial Design
Donovan Wallace, VP of Electronics Design
Sheri Tate - Senior Vice President Product Strategy, ChargeITspot - Image Credits
- Video Credits: ChargeitSpot
Image Credits: James Henderson
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