This year’s winners of IBO’s Design Awards for portable instrument utilize industrial design to integrate portability and utility. These battery-powered, instruments are designed for transport and use outside a lab.

Gold Award

The 2015 Gold IBO Design Award for portable instrumentation goes to DetectaChem’s SEEKERe colorimetric system for explosives and narcotics detection. The 2.6 x 4.6 x 1.5 in (67 x 116 x 37 mm) device weighs 197 g (6.94 oz) and costs $10,000–$14,000. The waterproof, US Military Standard 810 system features GPS, a bar code reader, and WiFi and SMS/e-mail capability. The battery can run up to 200 tests. Warm-up time is 30 seconds.

The palm-sized SEEKERe’s slim profile, rounded corners, side ridges and user interface highlight its durability, ease of use and flexibility. The front toggle button allows one-handed, ambidextrous operation and a wide choice of screens. Once the test is started, the system operates unattended and can stand upright on its own. “So you can start the test, set it down and have both hands free,” explained Chris Catania, Sales/Marketing director for DetectaChem. The system is 60% smaller than its predecessor.

No tools are required to open the back panel, in which the sample card is placed, or decontaminate the system. Adding to the sleekness is the magnet-based “reverse hammer” system on the back. “Basically, we engineered the hammer to be hidden until you insert the [detection] card, at which point it pops out and allows you to activate the test,” noted Mr. Catania.

Silver Award

Spectro Scientific’s Q6000 Series fuel dilution meter for checking fuel dilution in lube oil is the 2015 winner of IBO’s Silver Award for portable instrumentation design. Designed for lab or field operation, the system utilizes surface acoustic wave sensor technology and disposable vials.

The Q6000 measures 15 x 13.5 x 19.75 cm (5.9 x 5.31 x 7.77 in) and weighs 1.4 kg (3 lb). It is priced at $13,000–$15,000 and was designed in collaboration with Carroll Design.

The system’s industrial design emphasizes its portability. The compact size is enhanced by the rounded edges and proportion of the touchscreen to the body. In highlighting its portability, the design communicates the Q6000’s functionality for on-site testing. “The Q6000 FDM can better serve the needs of our customers as it allows easier portability and easier testing than it’s predecessor, the Q600z,” said Ken Caldwell, product manager at Spectro Scientific.

Usability is also enhanced by the design of the headspace sampling in which a “fang” penetrates the sample bottle when the cover is closed, reducing fuel carryover and increasing reproducibility. In addition to the color touchscreen, audio prompts guide the user. “The current design also simplifies sample entry, with just one drop of oil required per test,” noted Mr. Caldwell.

Bronze Award

Tribogenics’s Watson XRF spectrometer is the winner of IBO’s 2015 Bronze Award for portable instrument industrial design. Watson utilizes the familiar “gun” design of many handheld XRF systems but refines the design with modern styling that accentuates ruggedness, ease of use and advanced technology. The slanted profile, sweeping ridges and lines, and textured grip draw on the design cues of consumer products, as well as evoke a sense of familiarity that makes one want to pick up the system.

Watson measures 9 x 23 x 29 cm and weighs 2.3 kg (5 lb). Developed with design firm Boombang, it costs $9,999.

Watson’s design allows it to stand upright, increasing flexibility. The high resolution, 5 in display increases ease of use and is familiar to users of smart phones. A source cartridge, which locks into the system’s main body, replaces x-ray tubes. “The M1 source cartridge fits naturally into Watson XRF and is easily exchangeable on the fly in the field. No downtime anytime,” said Stewart Chalmers, head of Marketing at Tribogenics.