XPNDBLS MODULAR ACCESSORIES FOR ENTERPRISE AND TRUCKING INDUSTRY
ELD (Electronic Logging Device) mandate from the government - ALL trucks must have an ELD installed inside the truck. Drivers must operate the device “handsfree”, meaning that the device must be mounted into the truck interior. Drivers are not allowed to hold the ELD while operating the truck at the same time, this is considered similar to distracted driving and the usage of mobile phone. Former Pepsi operation manager came to XPNDBLS asking us to provide creative, fast, and cost effective solution.
IDENTIFIED problems TO SOLVE:
If a truck driver is found using their phone while driving the truck during his shift, not only that the driver will get cited, but the company he/she works for will also receive a heavy fine. On top of that, every ELD device must be able to record date, time, location information, engine hours, vehicle miles, and identification information for the driver, authenticated user, vehicle, and motor carrier - in short it needs to be a small computer.
If a truck driver is found using their phone while driving the truck during his shift, not only that the driver will get cited, but the company he/she works for will also receive a heavy fine. On top of that, every ELD device must be able to record date, time, location information, engine hours, vehicle miles, and identification information for the driver, authenticated user, vehicle, and motor carrier - in short it needs to be a small computer.
XPNDBLS' APPROACH
XPNDBLS proposed a modular IOT ecosystem model - using an iPhone along with fitted accessories, this ecosystem can perform just like an ELD device, and much more!
products to build:
1. Phone cases to enclose the iPhones, must be able to be easily charged the phone and data sync at a fast rate.
2. Docking system inside the truck, must be able to provide power and secure the phone in place.
3. Home dock system (to charge phone) for home use, drivers take their phone home with them.
4. Smart Speaker system to inside the truck, the smart speaker is used for a hands-free experience inside the truck and to enhance drivers’ driving experience. Now they can play music or accept phone calls using Bluetooth directly from their phones to the Smart Speaker.
5. Charging cable for quick charge on the go
1. Phone cases to enclose the iPhones, must be able to be easily charged the phone and data sync at a fast rate.
2. Docking system inside the truck, must be able to provide power and secure the phone in place.
3. Home dock system (to charge phone) for home use, drivers take their phone home with them.
4. Smart Speaker system to inside the truck, the smart speaker is used for a hands-free experience inside the truck and to enhance drivers’ driving experience. Now they can play music or accept phone calls using Bluetooth directly from their phones to the Smart Speaker.
5. Charging cable for quick charge on the go
Product design challenges:
1. Product environment is very harsh, inside the trucks:
* vibrations is a common thing and our devices must withstand the day to day operation;
* the products must also withstand extreme weather (heat and cold);
* the speaker must be loud enough to cut through all the noise inside the truck;
2. Timeline, all of the products must be designed, built, and delivered within 4 months.
3. Product quality challenge, breaking/return rate needs to be under 3% - qa/qc done with very high standard
1. Product environment is very harsh, inside the trucks:
* vibrations is a common thing and our devices must withstand the day to day operation;
* the products must also withstand extreme weather (heat and cold);
* the speaker must be loud enough to cut through all the noise inside the truck;
2. Timeline, all of the products must be designed, built, and delivered within 4 months.
3. Product quality challenge, breaking/return rate needs to be under 3% - qa/qc done with very high standard
CASE DESIGN PROCESS
With every designs, we always prioritize our goal to improve operations efficiency and to make difficult process easier. The Magcase was designed with human ergonomic and also ease of operation in mind. The curved sides are designed to feel friendly in the users hand while maintaining a good grip. The case was designed to protect the iPhone from drop damage and at the same time it must be fully functional when it needs to perform at work. The case is also following the Apple MFI rules and is fully certified by Apple. The Magcase raised surface design is there to protect the iPhone screen from potential damage from accidental drops. Using Magconn, we were able to enable easy charging and data syncing. The case is constructed with a Polycarbonate plastic and is then covered all around with Rubber TPU material. The hard plastic protects all the critical electronic components inside, while the rubber TPU absorbs shock which in turn protecting the phone from damage when the phone case is dropped.
TRUCK CRADLE DESIGN PROCESS
The truck cradle was designed with drivers’ ease of use in mind, using magnetic electronic connectors, drivers can simply drop their phone (fitted with a Magcase) into the cradle and it will automatically align itself to the charging pins. Since the cradle must withstand a very harsh environment, we designed the cradle from automotive grade polycarbonate plastic that can withstand extreme temperature changes. At XPNBDLS, we always want the best user experience for our clients, so we also added automotive grade screw inserts. We want to ensure that the cradle mounted will stay mounted and no screws go lose due to the constant vibration inside the truck.
SMART SPEAKER DESIGN PROCESS
The Smart Speaker was designed to complete the entire hands-free experience inside the truck. The Smart Speaker can auto pair as soon as the Magcase with iPhone is connected - drivers won’t need to go to setting to set any bluetooth pairing. It enables personalized music for each drivers and also handsfree calling feature. The speaker designed was a challenging one. To begin with, we have a very noisy environment and we are making an audio product that needs to cut through all outside noise. For that, we designed the speaker using 10 watt speakers that is powerfull enough to create a pleasant tone and cuts through all the noise. In some instance the location of the cradle will determine the quality of phone calls due to physical mic distance, and for that we designed an additional extended microphone cable that can be plugged into the speaker’s microUSB port.
HOME DOCK DESIGN PROCESS
When drivers are done with their shift, they take their iPhones home with them and they are responsible to make sure that the phones are ready for the next day drive. That means, every driver must charge their given iPhones at home. The Magdock was designed with that purpose. The Magdock is also designed to display the phone in a certain angle which made this ideal to be placed on a desktop or a nightstand.
Packaging Design - retail packaging
The retail packaging was used to package individual sets of Magcase + Home Dock and also a micro USB cable is included.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
We put our design to the test. We usually test for durability of the design and the robustness of the electronics. Since the product will go into a vehicle, we tested all the devices and certify it to be automotive grade by doing 25 different tests. For example: iPhone case body bending test, iPhone case insert/pull out force, pull forces for the truck cradle, cradle back screw insert force, vibration test, extreme temperature test, chemical resistance test. With our rigorous standard, we ensure that products coming out from our facility will always be good.
CONCLUSION
Not only that drivers have a great new tool to accompany them along their drives, fleet managers now have the ability to record date, time, location information, engine hours, vehicle miles, and identification information for the driver, authenticated user, vehicle, and motor carrier all from one device. With product break/return rate below 1%, Pepsi now have a very robust new ecosystem that has the potential to expand easily in the future.
Come design with us! www.goxti.com
