Camera Enclosure
Close Air Solutions
Designing a Technology Demonstrator For Delivering Mixed Reality Simulation
Close Air Solutions | Designing a Mixed Reality Simulator Camera Enclosure | Consumer Product | User Centred Design, Testing, Design For Manufacture
Immersive and realistic scenarios to help operators make better judgment decisions under extreme pressure and ultimately prevent unnecessary deaths.
Compact & Tamper Prof
Easy to Deploy
Trusted by Experts
Designed for Harsh Environments
The journey
Close Air Solutions provides training for defence and security personnel that experience high-stress combat situations, Close Air sought Realise to create the most versatile and rugged camera casing product yet.
Our integrated user-centred design + engineering delivered a one-off, fully functional camera enclosure designed in two parts with a single split line, rapid CNC machined enclosure (internal link).
The Result? A technology demonstrator, the entire product provides a robust and rugged look that adds a high-end tech feel for additional value, fit for the defence sector.
BEHIND THE CASING
Close Air Solutions provide training for defence and security personnel that experience high-stress combat situations. They replicate immersive and realistic scenarios to help operators make better judgment decisions under extreme pressure and ultimately prevent unnecessary deaths. The company had an opportunity to showcase its world-class capabilities in mixed reality simulations. However, they urgently needed a bespoke enclosure to protect their cameras capturing and broadcasting outdoor environments, crucial to simulating battlefields.
Realise designed a watertight industrial enclosure as a technology demonstrator for mixed reality simulation, protecting internal hardware from various weather conditions and ensuring full functionality of optics with crystal clear clarity. The project was rapidly delivered – in six weeks – and allowed Close Air Solutions to present its technology to stakeholders, undergo trials, and elevate its proposition.
THE DESIGN CHALLENGE
Seamless surround-vision, mixed reality.
Close Air Solutions needed a one-off, quick-release, watertight camera enclosure that could be mounted on a sturdy tripod with a connecting base plate to operate outdoors without regular intervention for up to two weeks. The unit had to house three cameras that could be adjustable in position but firmly held in place and collectively arranged to allow for a compact unit, minimise blind spots, and provide the 120-degree field of view to broadcast to screens off-site as a seamless surround-vision display. The product would also need to reduce the effects of vignetting and surface water collecting on the camera lens to ensure maximum clarity.
OUR DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Homing in on the technology and critical needs.
Realise met with the Close Air team and homed in on the critical technical needs to deliver a crystal-clear image as far as the eye could see, quickly narrowing down different alignment and lens options. In addition, we kept a consistent, open dialogue with Close Air to share concise updates on design options for their approval to accelerate the process.
Utilizing 3D CAD enclosure modelling (internal link) ensured consistent reviews to resolve issues that cropped up due to the speed of the project.
The team also combined bought-in components with the bespoke design for the main housing (and its respective gasket for a watertight seal) to reduce the risk of one-off manufactured parts delaying delivery.
The complete process took four weeks, from concept to a detailed design that was ready for production.
THE DELIVERY
Delivering a one-off technology demonstrator.
Realise delivered a one-off, fully functional camera enclosure designed in two parts with a single split line, rapid CNC machined enclosure (internal link). The front half of the unit is easily removed to give full access to the internal cameras. These are aligned for maximum field of view and compactly arranged with built-in adjustability. A hydrophobic coating was applied to the lenses, which were shipped out to Germany for application. In addition, a visor was designed as a feature of the enclosure to ensure the clearest view possible in wet weather conditions. As a technology demonstrator, the entire product provides a robust and rugged look that adds a high-end tech feel for additional value, fit for the defence sector.
What does Close Air Systems say about Realise?
“Working with Realise was a pleasure. They made an effort to ensure that they understood our requirements properly. The review processes were very useful in assuring us that our requirements would be met. Where there were options to choose from, the Realise team explained very well the advantages and disadvantages of each option. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone for a bespoke design.” – Thomas Ball, Technical Director, Close Air Solutions.
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