Scott Instruments Portable Gas Meter

Scout is used by safety personnel to detect the presence of toxic or combustible gases. It had to function after being immersed in water and under highly abusive conditions, which was captured in detail in the original product design specification. It senses gases in the local air and also via a pump and hose for remote sensing. The project team interviewed and observed users of competitive products to arrive at the right product design specification for the new unit.

Imagine
The Scout, researched, designed, and developed by the Scott / Bresslergroup team, incorporates several innovative human factors, waterproofing and assembly features. It includes an internal pump, eliminating the need for the pump accessory used by competitors. And the inductive charging system is both convenient and intrinsically safe. The device is complex and needs to be failsafe. As such, we drove development form a very rigorous product design specification.

Implement
Bresslergroup was responsible for all of the product design and mechanical engineering of the enclosure and the internal mechanical functional elements. The elastomeric pump manifold invented by Bresslergroup has been patented. The design also eases assembly with a logical bottom up build. Our documentation package helped provide the specifications for assembly processes.

Impact
The unit is so resilient that it has been used in sales demonstrations to drive nails. It is frequently displayed operating in a tank of water at trade shows. The sales of the unit have exceeded expectations and performance exceeds specification. The Scout has enabled Scott to gain market share over competitors in an otherwise slow growth market.