The Skills Required
A key feature of the product was the requirement to perform reliably in challenging environmental conditions whilst maintaining sufficient battery charge life in a normal usage cycle of several hours.
It was only through an integrated system design approach that such exacting requirements could be met.
Usability was key to the client. Fen's hardware engineers worked closely with the client's UX expertise to ensure the electronics complimented the ergonomic requirements of the product. This impacted the component choice, board layout and mechanical structure of the electronics.
The primary challenge in software terms was to bring together a number of third party software stacks and successfully integrate them with a number of sensors and modules. In addition, the integrated software solution had to operate reliably and coherently on a limited resource, low-cost processor.
Testimonials
The Brief
The client could not find an off-the-shelf fingerprint scanner that met it’s broad range of demanding requirements:
- Secure
- Low cost
- Robust
- Wireless
- Accurate & reliable
- Long lasting re-chargeable battery operation
Fen needed to operate as part of a team to combine usability research and industrial / mechanical / electronics design to narrow down the biometric sensor choice and produce a solution that met the above requirements.
The Solution
Fen supported the client with key embedded choices related to the biometric sensor, processor, Bluetooth solution, USB solution and power supply design. In a subsequent product design phase Fen had prime responsibility for electronics hardware design and it’s integration with the industrial/mechanical design from a form and function perspective.
Fen overcame a number of challenges relating to the selection and integration of biometric, USB and Bluetooth embedded software solutions.
Fen worked with the client’s in-house app team to deliver a fully integrated product solution.
Rather than treat each exacting requirement in isolation, Fen worked closely with the client to innovate elegant solutions from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Hardware and software design in support of clever user experience design can be as effective on battery charge life as efficient power supply design
The Skills Required
A key feature of the product was the requirement to perform reliably in challenging environmental conditions whilst maintaining sufficient battery charge life in a normal usage cycle of several hours.
It was only through an integrated system design approach that such exacting requirements could be met.
Usability was key to the client. Fen's hardware engineers worked closely with the client's UX expertise to ensure the electronics complimented the ergonomic requirements of the product. This impacted the component choice, board layout and mechanical structure of the electronics.
The primary challenge in software terms was to bring together a number of third party software stacks and successfully integrate them with a number of sensors and modules. In addition, the integrated software solution had to operate reliably and coherently on a limited resource, low-cost processor.
