Lumafield
Neptune CT Scanner
2021

Lumafield is a Cambridge, MA based startup aiming to make CT scanning intuitive for a new set of users. I worked closely with the cofounders at an early stage to create the industrial design, HMI and engineering architecture for their first product, the Neptune CT Scanner.

My design strategy focused on leveraging light to orient the user and make the HMI more intuitive for new users. The machine form and layout took inspiration from key tenets of furniture and graphic design. I kept the overall assembly and joinery of the structure simple, reducing manufacturing R&D time, which was critical to the founder's goals. I leveraged elements common in furniture design to create an empty void below the primary form and to separate the machine from the stand. This distanced the machine from expected machine archetypes and resulted in a product that felt at home in both a design studio and a manufacturing facility.

HMI Layout

The touchscreen element of the HMI was prototyped at scale with interactions designed and prototyped in Origami Studio. This allowed me to experience the interface firsthand, well before Lumafield had a working version. This influenced the position of the touchscreen as well as the broader HMI design.

Design for Transport

Planning how the produt will move from production facility to the user’s environment is important with a machine that weighs as much as a car. I developed a Machine Journey to help internal stakeholders discuss how the machine would move through this journey and how it may impact the industrial design. This work influenced the overall architecture of the machine + stand, the addition of lift points, as well as the internal structural frame design.

Assembly Technique / Engineering

The industrial design needed to respect the internal components as well as inform the manufacturing technique for the outer lead panels. A joinery technique and frame architecture was developed to unite ID and ME.

Engineering to Feel

I used a combination of 1:16 scale models, full size foam core prototypes and Augmented Reality prototyping in Gravity Sketch to develop the design. Scale models from matboard were incredibly useful in exploring multiple direction and lighting techniques. A combination of lighting strategy, handle color and a considered HMI layout led to an approachable interface that leverages user’s mental models of how x-rays move through the part to be inspected.

Work

Next →

studio@wolos.co