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June 1997

iO leads the way in integrated prototyping

An ingenious new prototyping system from Cambridge Consultants Limited (CCL®) makes it possible to develop and test new electronics-based products in extremely short timescales

Typically, fast track concurrent development programs leave little time to test new designs as a whole unit before the first production build. Integrating software, user interface design and hardware at the end of a project can result in products that are difficult to use. Any changes to the design at the production stage are costly and may even jeopardise launch plans.

CCL has designed iO, a rapid prototyping system that allows the design, build and test of many elements of a new product, integrated into a single unit, for early evaluation.

Benefits

• Increased confidence in a design before committing to production
• Many elements of a concept can be tested together, in one unit, to create a coherent system
• Early evaluation ensures the product is developed and optimised swiftly
• Rapid development of initial models, user interface design and software
• Fully interactive models means more realistic market testing
• Low investment for high return
• More design iterations are possible, offering exploration of more concepts

iO comprises a box of electronics connected to a PC or Macintosh computer, on which is running a simulation of the user interface design. It connects to a three dimensional model of the product under development, typically including an LCD display and control buttons as well as other components. The end prototype is fully interactive, with buttons and display working in conjunction with the computer simulation.

The iO system captures an area of the host computer's screen and reproduces it on the model's display. Keys on the prototype emulate the host computer's keyboard, allowing user interface software on the computer to interpret the input and return the appropriate display data to the model. Audio facilities, indicators, fixed position switches or encoders can also be fitted to the product prototype.

Using iO allows companies to create an apparently fully functional new product, within a very short time, for a realistic market evaluation. iO gives manufacturers full confidence in their product design before committing themselves to large-scale production.

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