J and N Enterprises developed a miniature electronic gas sensor that can detect dangerous concentrations of carbon dioxide. They wanted to “productize” this circuit as a rugged, waterproof, clip-on device that could be worn like a badge.

Porticos was priviliged to design this ground-breaking mobile phone in the novel slider configuration. Nearly every part of this phone required us to "push the envelope" in order to achieve the desired thickness and functionality. Porticos engineers were involved from initial concept-design through product launch and high-volume support.

The public safety A/V project showcased Porticos technical expertise and program management. There were 6 separate products that made up the complete project; main DVR unit, police car mounted wireless receiver, officer worn wireless microphone, belt clip for the wireless microphone, and a single and multi-slot charge dock for the wireless microphone.

When the customer wanted to develop a ruggedize variant of a product from their laptop computer line they turned to Porticos. We have had the pleasure of working on several projects with Dell over the years so they knew of our expertise in this area.

BD Technologies partnered with other companies to develop a needle-free vaccine delivery system as part of a grant supported by the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. To be viable in small villages in developing countries (where the greatest need lies), the system must not require the use of refrigeration or electricity, must be simple to administer by minimally trained personnel, must be effective on children ages 1-4 (who are not capable of cooperation) or adults, must be safe against spreading disease (by preventing re-use), must be relatively compact for shipping, must not require any special means of disposal, and finally, must have a cost per unit dose equal to or less than existing injection methods. Indeed, this is a grand challenge for engineering.

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) have provided an alternative to the longstanding metered dose inhaler and have demonstrated proven benefits. Add to that the interest over the past decade by medical and pharmaceutical researchers in utilizing the lung as the target of drug delivery, and the number of commercial opportunities for DPI products has exploded. What was once a delivery system only for respiratory drugs has now become a means for delivering medications for diabetes, pain management, influenza, and cystic fibrosis, as well as vaccines.

Ever wonder where radioactive medicines come from? An organic substance must be placed in front of a particle-accelerator and then irradiated. This creates the medicines and dyes use to enable such medical technologies as PET scanning.

Everybody has experienced the discomfort of being too warm. There are some important jobs that induce overheating so severe that it actually impairs one’s ability to move or think. It is difficult to understand just how serious this is until you have spent a few minutes inside a HAZMAT suit or “turnout-gear”, as seen here.

Today, the only solution is to limit exposure. A HAZMAT specialist is able to spend 15 to 20 minutes on a mission before he must be replaced by a colleague. The logistic costs are enormous, and the danger of physical incapacity is very real.

Motorola commissioned Porticos, Inc. to handle all aspects of Mechanical Design and Engineering for the new flagship MT2000 series of Mobile Terminal barcode scanners. These products are incredibly robust, surviving a punishing suite of environmental and abuse tests while protecting a delicate laser scanning module. Judicious use of overmolding and careful attention to interfaces results in a product that is watertight, shock-resistant, and ergonomically friendly. An innovative two-axis latch makes the battery door easy to remove with one hand, yet holds it securely in place during a shock or drop.

The 9575 Extreme handset is a military-grade, durable satalite phone (MIL-STD 810F). It has the highest ingress protection rating in the satellite phone industry (IP65). One of the more challenging design elements for the 9575 handset was the retractable satellite antenna. This was made more difficult by the IP65 rating requirement.

When the hardware and core layout of the 24 Eight were originally defined, industrial design was not heavily considered. Components did not line up, and the core layout was unnecessarily thick. Porticos joined the team and modified the ID to improve both the hardware and the aesthetics.

Engineered to perform in all kinds of environmental conditions, the Iridium Pilot provides a platform for broadband data transfer. The purpose of the Iridium Pilot is to provide coverage in alternative environments, as might be necessary on large ships.

Porticos completed a battery industrial design study for Iridium's High Capacity Battery. Given five ID concepts, we narrowed the idea to a single design that best met all technical and aesthetic requirements.

Isabella Products, Inc. is a next-generation consumer wireless products and services company with a clear objective of producing high-value products for a variety of con-sumers. Isabella focuses on creating intuitive, simple and innovative devices by lever-aging the very latest in hardware, software and wireless technologies to create a rich user experience. One of the cornerstone products in the Isabella line focuses on dig-ital photo frames wirelessly connected thru the 3G network to allow instant down-loads of pictures from a host server. This feature enables sharing of pictures to fami-ly members, etc., automatically thru their digital frames. Realizing that there is a large market of existing and new digital frames without the capacity for wireless connectivity, founder Matthew Growney decided that what was needed was a small USB device that could provide that connectivity and interface di-rectly with the existing digital frames. Thus the Mini was born. That's when Porti-cos and Connected Development were contacted to do the mechanical and electrical design respectively.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root is the global leader in technology systems for the fueling industry. They offer solutions ranging from point of sale equipment to fuel dispensers. When customers began requesting a longer hose for use in their Encore Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) dispensers Gilbarco called on Porticos to generate concepts and provide the detail design for a successful solution. While it may sound trivial, the unique properties of DEF coupled with the harsh environment that the dispensers must operate in make for a challenging design problem. DEF is an aqueous urea solution diluted in demineralized water and used in selective catalytic reduction to lower NOx concentration in the exhaust emissions from diesel engines. The solution is corrosive to some metals and the water solvent is prone to freezing in cold climates if it is not kept warm.

The goal of the project was to conceptualize and prototype stand assembly mecha-nisms for a multi-monitor display that would support three display panels and keep the aesthetic intent of the original industrial design. Furthermore a solution was needed to mange the cable assemblies embedded inside the stand assembly.

The goal of the project was to first generate many concepts for a convertible-type computing device that is larger than a traditional smartphone but different than a typical tablet PC device or other convertible product in today's market. Porticos held multiple brainstorming sessions resulting in a large number of concepts that were reviewed with Dell for down select and refinement.

Porticos and Device Solutions worked closely to optimize placement efficiency to create the smallest package possible. For both units this was especially important because power consumption requirements to support a 30 day transmission period necessitated a large battery cell.

AAD SCC+ provides instant sub-clinical detection of infected cows on a farm. Porticos engineers capitalized on two-shot molding experience to design a solution that improved tactility, recessed the buttons to reduce the likelihood of accidental button press, and created an IP67 solution without increasing the overall thickness of the device. Porticos provided assembly instructions for the contract manufacturer and helped them work through build issues.

Porticos engineers collaborated with Motorola and its contract manufacturer to develop a low cost EDA that is rugged, reliable and functional. Concept generation, mechanical design / integration, tolerance analysis, stress analysis, and design for manufacturability were provided.

Wright Brothers, Inc. wanted a new version of their first gas cylinder communication unit. Requirements were to retain the performance of the previous design (good antenna reception, weatherproof, durable, field serviceable, low cost) and to use the same circuit board. The customer also wanted a smaller and more aesthetic product, and to explore new mounting options. Porticos created concepts providing multiple options for achieving a smaller unit, mounting the unit, including a unique concept for hanging the unit like a tag, and improving external appearance, all within budget and in a short timeframe.