The winners of the 2016 IBO Industrial Design Awards for portable instruments employ compactness and ease-of-use in their designs. Portable instruments can be easily transported to field locations for various analyses, such as testing, characterization and detection.

Gold Award

The 2016 Gold Award for Portable Analytical Instrument Industrial Design goes to Sage Analytics’ Luminary Beacon, a portable lab-quality measurement system for cannabis potency. Utilizing NIR spectroscopy, the Luminary Beacon combines aesthetics with practicality, with its slick, compact design boasting a refined, user-friendly touchscreen and minimal moving parts. A cannabis sample is easily placed and locked into the sample space, and the sturdy black lid doubly works as a calibration cover.

Weighing 4.2 lb with dimensions of 6.3 x 8.3 x 8.8 in (210 x 220 x 160 mm) and priced at $23,900, the Luminary Beacon has a modern and minimal design reminiscent of a tablet. Sage Analytics partnered with design firm Metaphase for the industrial design of the instrument. “We wanted something that was more consumer facing and appealing,” said Lauren Wilson, director of Marketing at Sage Analytics. “It had to be a small footprint and be able to fit on a countertop/benchtop, but also the spectrometer, detector and other scientific components had to be able to fit inside and be protected.” The clean design of the Luminary Beacon is directed at a wide demographic. “Since we have many target markets within the cannabis industry (growers, extract processors, labs and dispensaries), we needed to design something that would appeal to everyone,” Ms. Wilson stated.

The light bulb is the only consumable, and WiFi is built into the instrument for Internet access even in rural growing areas. “We designed it so that the software could be updated remotely, hence the ethernet port on the backside,” said Ms. Wilson. Eco-friendly, sturdy and visually appealing, the Luminary Beacon is an exciting addition to the cannabis potency measurement industry.

Silver Award

The winner of the 2016 Silver Award for Portable Analytical Instrument Industrial Design goes to FLIR’s Fido X2 explosives trace detector (ETD). The newest addition to FLIR’s Fido X-Series ETDs, the Fido X2 utilizes multi-channel fluorescence and TrueTrace, FLIR’s patented luminescence technology used in all X-Series ETDs, allowing for the instrument to detect even slight changes in luminosity measurements to determine levels of explosive residue.

The Fido X2 measures 3.9 x 2.8 x 12.7 in (10.0 x 7.2 x 32.2 cm) and weighs 1.5 lb (680.4 g). Priced starting at $9,995, the Fido X2 was designed in collaboration with HOWL Design Studios, as well as Propeller Design AB, which teamed up with FLIR to design the graphic user interface.

The instrument has an ergonomic handle and is much more lightweight than competing ETDs, making it unique in the portable ETD market. “Our two primary functional design goals were handle ergonomics that were comfortable and balanced, and grip points that were intuitive during operational tasks and routine maintenance,” explained Clint Wichert, director of Detection Product Management at FLIR. “FLIR’s engineering goal was to design an explosives trace detector that was half the size, weight and cost of existing market offerings, all while maintaining detection performance at a level our customers expect from FLIR.” To achieve this, Mr. Wichert said that FLIR created a custom battery to support the industrial design while maintaining its ergonomic features. The result is a sleek, compact, user-friendly ETD that engineers the fast and highly sensitive detection technology into a comfortable and appealing design.

Bronze Award

Atago’s VISCO is the winner of the 2016 Bronze Award for Portable Analytical Instrument Industrial Design. The portable B-type viscometer has a polished, chic exterior and holds an easy-to-use interface in a stylish and durable design.

The VISCO’s body measures 4.7 x 7.9 x 4.7 in (120 x 200.6 x 120 mm) and weighs 2.6 lb (1.2 kg). As a portable instrument, the VISCO runs on batteries and offers USB connectivity for simple data transfers into computers. Its digital screen is wide, allowing for viscosity-level assessment and confirmation from all angles. With its affordable $2,500 price tag and modernist look, the distinctive VISCO has a refreshing design in comparison to other contenders.