Orexplore’s new product, the GeoCore X10, has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot design award at a ceremony in Essen, Germany.
Kevin Rebenius, Orexplore’s CEO and Tue Beijer, industrial designer, Tue Beijer, attended the Red Dot Award in Essen Germany, to celebrate with the other Red Dot winners from around the world.
"The monolithic shape of the Drill Core Analyser is contrasted by the tapering surfaces and precise lines in an especially dramatic way."
We asked Tue to share his thoughts on the unique design language of the GeoCore X10.
Tue, usually mining equipment is pretty rough and industrial design is maybe not a priority. What made the GeoCore X10 different?
– The GeoCore X10 is a unique machine in a completely new category, and I wanted it to signal just that. It’s digital, it’s accurate, a precision tool for geologists. But it still has to work in a mining environment where it’s moist, dirty and maybe the lighting is bad.
Tell us more about the lighting on the machine.
– I wanted the machine to signal exactly what it’s doing at all times, all you have to do is look at it. Also, even though it uses X-ray technology I wanted it to appear and feel safe to use. By using colors in an innovative way we’ve given it a nice “personality” that should feel interested in interacting with.
The user interface is amazing for such a complex machine, just a rotating push-knob. What’s the thinking behind that?
– Ease of use of course. Even though the machine is very complex, I wanted it to be extremely easy to use for an operator that is using it on a daily basis. Badly designed user interfaces is a real pain when you have to use a machine over and over again. This is the mining version of Apple iPod if anyone remembers the genius music player.
It almost looks too fragile in a mining environment.
– Yeah, maybe that will make it last longer, ha ha! It’s pretty rugged and sealed against dust and moisture. You can just hose it down when it gets dirty.