The World's First Ultra Rugged Android LTE Tablet

Our Solution

How we designed the category-first, elegant, expandable, ultra-rugged 7-inch Android tablet for work in demanding environments

The Result

With a carefully balanced blend of toughness, elegance, and expandability, it set a benchmark that later influenced successors and competitors.

Services

Concept Development

Enclosure Design

Prototype Engineering

Materials Selection

Design for Manufacturing

Tolerance Analysis

Vendor Management

Prototype Liaison

Postproduction support

The Challenge

Rugged for a Reason

In a world where consumer electronics are getting faster and slimmer, one market demands more durability. Rugged computing is a $5B market, yet for years professionals in mining, utilities, defense, and logistics had to improvise—slipping consumer tablets into protective cases and hoping for the best. The result? Devices that broke down in dust, rain, or vibration, leaving teams stranded with short product lifecycles and mounting replacement costs.

In addition, available solutions were all windows based, and unable to participate in the rapidly growing market of Android Apps. Handheld, a Sweden-based leader in rugged mobile computers, saw a gap: the market needed a purpose-built Android tablet that combined reliability, expandability, and Scandinavian design sensibility. They turned to Innominds and us to design their first 7-inch LTE tablet that could survive anywhere work happened.

OUR APPROACH

The Art of Rugged Elegance

Our process was a blend of meticulous engineering and thoughtful design. Together with Innominds, we set out to deliver a device compliant with MIL-STD-810F for structural and environmental resilience. That meant more than just hardening a shell—it required rethinking the entire architecture.

A Family Resemblance

Handheld already had a strong brand identity but for a device with different proportions. So our first task was to create a device that felt like a natural progression of their family—a product that was both tough and elegant. We didn’t just want to build a tank; we wanted to build a beautiful, functional machine.

Antenna Enabling

Consumer smartphones are designed such that the plastic on which the Antenna is etched is separated from the rest of the design. So that these parts can be moulded elsewhere and presented for assembly with the antenna etched. While our design was not consumer grade, we worked closely with a professional Antenna design house to enable a design efficient for both performance and production.

Material Science: The Unseen Shield

To meet the rigorous MIL-STD-810F standards, we had to choose our materials with care. We collaborated with top vendors like Covestro to identify polymers that were not only tough and cost-effective but could also handle extreme temperatures, from a scorching +80°C to a frigid -40°C. These materials also had to be UV-resistant, ensuring the tablet wouldn’t degrade under the unforgiving desert sun or in the bright, cold tundra. The display tray was pressure die cast in an aluminium Titanium alloy and finish-machined before insert moulding to the top shell.

Engineering for Endurance

The core of the tablet’s durability lies in its engineering. We created a unique, dual-injection (double-shot) molded housings that absorbed impacts, ensuring the device could survive repeated drops. Inside, we shock-mounted the sensitive electronics, isolating them from vibrations and shocks.

The Port System: A Dry & Clever Solution

Achieving an IP67 rating—meaning it’s fully protected from dust and can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes—was a critical challenge. Consumer-grade I/O ports are a major point of vulnerability. Our solution was innovative: a completely sealed “ports zone” separate from the main body. If the port cap was left open and the tablet got wet, only that section would be exposed. The rest of the device would remain untouched. The zone itself was designed to be “flush and dry,” so any water would simply run out and evaporate, leaving the tablet ready for use.

Tooling for Low Volumes

Rugged devices don’t sell in consumer-scale volumes. Finding molding partners willing to support smaller runs, required careful vendor selection in China. With our established network, we secured partners who delivered cost-effective tooling without compromising on precision. Several months after the product was launched, our managed production practice helped resolve long term quality issues arising from material change requirements at our Chinese partner.

THE OUTCOME

Built for the Long Haul

The Handheld Algiz RT7 didn’t just meet expectations; it shattered them. It became a category-defining product, proving that ultra-rugged devices didn’t have to be clunky or compromised. This project was a testament to our philosophy: a perfect fusion of form and function, where design elevates engineering and a commitment to detail results in a product that not only works but thrives in the toughest conditions. With a carefully balanced blend of toughness, elegance, and expandability, it set a benchmark that later influenced its successors.

The RT7 gave Handheld a flagship that strengthened its position in a growing global market and proved that rugged technology could also be thoughtfully designed.