Cape Town product development consultancy …XYZ scored three top places in the 2009 South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Design Excellence Awards, plus the overall Chairperson’s Award.
This marked the second successive year that …XYZ took top honours; the company won three design excellence awards in 2008 for a modular filing system, a condom applicator and a modular traffic light.
A mobile baby monitor (SNUZA), developed together with ID&B brand strategy and design specialists for client Biosentronics, took the SABS Chairperson’s award. “The SNUZA was overwhelmingly the first choice of the judges,” said Adrienne Viljoen, manager of the SABS Design Institute. The judging panel commented that it was a 'well designed improvement on existing products' that had taken all facets of the problem into consideration.
A key success factor of the baby monitoring device is its mobility – the monitor clips onto the baby’s nappy, instead of being located under a cot mattress. This has huge appeal given modern mobile lifestyles. The device is made from hypoallergenic medical grade plastics and recyclable thermoplastic materials. Product features include a soft, flexible sensor that protrudes onto the baby’s stomach for superior sensing. A vibration stimulator helps reassert breathing if apnoea is detected, and an effective clip design results in good nappy grip. It also uses the latest ultra low-power microcontroller technology.
The second award was for the Touchmart TAP, said to be the only ATM currently being made in South Africa. The judging panel commended the device for its versatility and 'offering a wide range of applications to a diverse group of users'.
The self-service terminal can be installed wherever there is cellphone reception and can be customised for a wide range of products and services, such as buying air and movie tickets. The price depends on the configuration chosen by the customer and units are also available on a three- or five-year rental basis.
“The TAP is the only ATM in South Africa able to accept cash payments for products and services as well as credit and debit cards,” said …XYZ design director Byron Qually. “We believe it is also the only ATM that enables the operator to load cash into the device without having to open it up and physically load the dispensing canisters. This assists in keeping strategic parts of the product tamper-proof.”
Qually said a specialist team of designers, engineers and prototyping technicians developed the device in 2007. It was launched in 2008 and about 80 units are already in use. The unit also provides a generic electronic distribution platform that can be used by any business, organisation or government to make information, products and services available anywhere in the country in real-time. It has been designed with a large 19” touch screen to display information and options in a friendly and intuitive format – even for relatively complex situations such as plane flight selection. It also incorporates barcode scanning for simple bill payments, fingerprint recognition security and ticket printing.
The third and final award recognised the Stopak Jumbo Inflator, a cargo securing and protection bag inflator. The device features an ambient air intake and digital pressure control system and has sea, road and rail applications. It is used to inflate dunnage bags, which are typically used to fill spaces between merchandise packed into containers, trucks and ships’ holds. The bags prevent the merchandise from shifting and being damaged during transit.
For more information contact ...XYZ, +27 (0)21 421 7236.
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