1. 858-385-7834 (San Diego, CA)
360-718-2573 (Vancouver, WA)
www.simplexitypd.com
info@simplexitypd.com
NSF Workshop on Advanced
Manufacturing for Smart Goods
Smart Good Needs: Small Company
Perspective
Dorota Shortell
May 14, 2015
Pushing the Limits of Smart
Products Design

2. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Simplexity Overview
• Engineering design company with 2 locations:
Vancouver, WA and San Diego CA
• Believe the best solution is the simplest one to
accomplish the goal reliably
• Experts in mechatronics, sensor-integrated smart
products, and precision motion control
• ~50 employees, listed on over 100 patents
• Mechanical, firmware, electrical, manufacturing and
software engineers averaging 20 years’ experience
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Copyright 2015
Goals for this talk
1. What smart goods applications is Simplexity
helping customers with today?
2. What are the limitations of current technologies?
3. What is in store for the future in smart goods?
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4. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Outline
1. Simplexity Overview & Goals
2. Case Study 1: The Microsoft Band
3. Case Study 2: Bowflex® SelectTech 560
Dumbbells Get Smarter
4. Looking to the Future: From Sensing to Affecting
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5. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
What is it?
• Wearable device for your wrist
• Full health and exercise tracking
• Syncs to WindowsPhone, Android, and iPhone
• Shows email previews, calendar alerts, incoming calls & texts
• Contains guided workouts, automatic activity counting, run, and bike
mapping with built-in GPS
• Tracks sleep: total sleep time, sleep efficiency, wake-ups
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Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Technical Challenges
1. Compact size
2. Water and sweat resistance
3. Industrial design
4. Human factors/ Ergonomics
5. Safety
6. Durability
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Copyright 2015
Optical
heart rate
sensor
3-axis
accelerometer
Gyro
GPS
Ambient
light sensor
Skin
temperature
sensor
UV sensor
Galvanic
skin
response
Microphone
Haptic
vibration
motor
Display
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Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band

8. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Manufacturing Advances
1. Insert molded Stainless Steel Metal Injection Molding (SS MIMS)
 Strict geometric constraints, tight tolerance requirements, and a need for
high strength eliminated more traditional forms of manufacturing for a few
critical parts
 Combining detailed Finite Element Analyses (FEA) with vendor research,
SS MIMS process was selected and designed for in order to provide a
successful substrate. ABS/PC is then shot onto the substrate to provide
more reliable profile accuracy and a TPE-compatible interface
 Working with MIMs vendors and clever design, part cost was able to be
brought down to acceptable large-scale levels
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Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Manufacturing Advances
2. Integrated Flex Circuit
 Waterproof, sweatproof, and safety requirements demanded
creative solutions for Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) and battery
integration
 Insert molding directly to the FPC allowed contact potting and
gasket sealing with ease of assembly, high positional accuracy,
and a flexibility in materials
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10. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Manufacturing Advances
3. Complex Sheet Metal Substrates
 The main band substrate provides a complex yet critical
“backbone” to support and locate all other subassemblies of the
device
 More expensive and fragile techniques have been common
among competitive products but using thin, spring-hardened
sheet metal allowed for design complexity, excellent feature
accuracy, and high strength at a very low cost
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Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Challenges
1. Compact size
2. Water and sweat
resistance
3. Industrial design
4. Human factors/
Ergonomics
5. Safety
6. Durability
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Solutions
1. New manufacturing processes, metal instead of plastic
for backbone, FPC and cross-team cooperation
2. FPC insert molding and TPE overmolding for
integrated gasket features, sealing of components
3. Compact latching, curved cover over display, many
trials with overmolding
4. User studies, market and trial research with cross-
team collaboration
5. Creative sealing techniques along with complex
battery housing design
6. Sheet metal backbone for strength & flexibility, FEA
analyses and testing (drop, pull, twist)

12. www.simplexitypd.com
Copyright 2015
Case Study 1:
The Microsoft Band
Needs in Technology
• Miniaturization of common smart goods components e.g.
accelerometers, gyros, cameras, batteries, etc.
• Advancements in FPC trace density, flexibility, and available
components/features
• Display size, shape, and flexibility
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Copyright 2015
Case Study 2: Bowflex® SelectTech
560 Dumbbells get smarter
What is it?
• An entire rack of dumbbells in one
• Selectively choose how much weight each holds
New features
• Tracks sets, reps & weight
• Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy communications
• Syncs and records sets, reps and weight
• SelectTech ® 560 3DT Workout App for iOS and Android
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Technical Challenges
1. Battery Life
2. Positional Accuracy
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Case Study 2: Bowflex® SelectTech 560 Dumbbells get
smarter

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Copyright 2015
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Case Study 2: Bowflex® SelectTech
560 Dumbbells get smarter
Technical Solutions
1. Battery Life
 Use of low power embedded ARM CPU
& optimization of CPU power usage.
 Minimization of active time for all
sensors: weight and accel/gyro
2. Positional Accuracy
 Auto switching between rotational and
translational exercises.
 Filtering & continuous calibration for
translational exercises.
Note: representative data, not actual
Note: representative data, not actual

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Copyright 2015
Needs in Technology
• Low Power Sensors
 Power technology moving in the right direction. Sensors still consume
significant power: 50% more than CPU (and CPU is oversized for this
application due to memory requirements).
• Low cost position measurement system
 Especially one that works at low frequency. The orientation problem is
adequately solved, but position only works for cyclic motions of
sufficient speed.
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Case Study 2: Bowflex® SelectTech
560 Dumbbells get smarter

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Copyright 2015
Looking to the Future:
From Sensing to Affecting
• Very limited ability of today’s products to manipulate the real world
• The next wave of smart products need to manipulate their
environment based on their sensors
• Key challenges:
 Low cost & energy efficient manipulators: motors, solenoids, etc.
 Manipulator + feedback sensor integration
 Energy distribution / energy harvesting
 Easy-to-use security
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• Majority of “smart products” today are
centered on internet connected sensors
• Products great at gathering data from the
real world