Catcher Grizzly

Secure Terminals, Maintain Dignity

CATCHER or Command And Tele Communications Handheld Emergency Response device was envisaged at the end of the second Iraq war. The Catcher founders wanted to create a device that would efficiently manage terminal security without compromising on human rights.

The Iraq war left the US managing a war-ravaged nation, one where the soldiers had to be on alert round the clock protecting the facilities from Saddam loyalists. With up to 70 attacks a day at its peak, maintaining base security without harming the innocent was proving to be a major headache for the American commanders.

Most soldiers would detain anyone looking suspicious (in this case most adult males of combat age) for a day or so leading to angst in the families of the detainees.

And making new enemies in the process instead of winning hearts!

Catcher Inc tasked us with engineering a rugged handheld device – compliant to Mil-Std-810F. A device that would allow the soldiers to maintain base security without detaining individuals unnecessarily.

And they needed a partner who could work across time zones: Catcher being in Texas, their lead designer in California, their tech partner in Chennai and of course, us in Bangalore, India!

Project Insights

While Catcher was designed to provide real time threat detection, it also had to,

1. Withstand harsh conditions of Iraq such as the desert heat and sand.

2. Withstand impacts as the soldiers could either dive with it onto the ground or throw it away while responding to an attack.

3. Last the entire day without recharging.

Built Tough

Catcher was engineered for extreme environments compliant with Mil-Std-810F. That meant surviving impacts, vibrations and thermal shocks where even normal ruggedized gadgets would give up the ghost. In fact, it had to withstand storage temperatures between –40C to 80C!

Hot Swap

The Catcher would be used throughout the day and even without any guarantee of charging. To ensure this we worked upon building a Hot Swap battery, but one that would withstand IP67 conditions when in place. The battery housing design had to ensure that it would work instantly as the chances of the soldiers cleaning it before insertion would be remote.

Cool to Handle

Since the device would be out in the sun all day, we had to ensure that it would prevent overheating of the electricals inside and yet allow the heat generated to dissipate. Catcher was designed to be held with over molded silicone rubber to ensure that the soldier’s hands are kept safe in the hot sun.

Waterproof

The Catcher had been built around commercial hardware to keep the costs as low as possible. To ensure water proofing, we built port flaps that would securely seal these ports under IP67 conditions.

Rolling with the Requirements

We engineered the design maintaining fidelity to the concept as much as possible. And worked across multiple time zones, spec changes and add-ons that came as the product progressed in its journey.

Key Tasks Accomplished

1. Enclosure Engineering

2. CAE liaison

3. Prototype Design

4. Materials Selection

5. Design for Manufacturing

6. Prototype Liaison

Services

Product Design

Product Engineering

Services & Digital Design

Advanced 3D Surfacing

Creative Visualization

2D Configurator

3D Configurator

Immersive CX

Product Documentation

Brand Assets

Intelligent Sales

Micro Offshore Design

Managed Production

Agency Partner

Programs

Partner

Corporate Innovation

Launchpad

Small Business

21 day marketing

Design Exchange

Industries

Automobile Vehicle and mobility

Aviation

Agriculture and Construction

Consumer

Food and Beverage

Health And Life Sciences

Industrial and Capital Goods

Manufacturing

Technology

Marine

Space Exploration

Telecommunication