DESIGN NAME: QBracelet
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Phone Charger
INSPIRATION: I spent Summer 2013 in San Francisco, and my phone kept dying repeatedly. As someone who cares about fashion and tech, I felt that if I could make a bracelet look good and charge your phone it would be the prefect solution. At the time there were a few wearable tech products out there and they all used black rubber/plastic, and I felt that was so ugly. From that point on I promised myself we would make the bracelet from a beautiful metal, and would hide all the electronics inside of the casing.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The QBracelet is quite unique from other wearable designs because of our attention to detail on material selection and design. All the components and electronics for the product were hidden inside the clasp so the user could wear the bracelet without others knowing it was a piece of technology. In addition, through countless testing we chose to use the same materials and processes luxury watches use to create the metal and finish exhibited on the QBracelet.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: People can cordlessly connect their devices directly to the bracelet via a connector that lies within the bracelet's clasp. Once connected, the QBracelet is free-standing and allows for easy, unfettered phone use. Lightweight, elegant and crafted from the highest quality materials, the QBracelet comes in matte black, polished and matte silver and polished gold.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in August 2013 in Silicon Valley near San Francisco, and then moved to New York City October 2013. Finally the QBracelet launched for pre-order August 2014.
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The first step was making sure the technology existed and that it would actually be possible to build the QBracelet. We looked at current products on the market, and bought a few to study the internal electronics. Then we 3D printed the first model on a Makerbot to determine how it fit and looked on the wrist. After this we redesigned the bracelet countless times, and tried numerous prototypes in different metals and sizes before we found the right combination.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Product Dimensions:
Small QBracelet: Inner Circumference (163mm) x Depth (8mm) x Width (16.4mm)
Medium QBracelet:Inner Circumference (182mm) x Depth (8mm) x Width (16.4mm)
Large QBracelet: Inner Circumference (201mm) x Depth (8mm) x Width (16.4mm)
Electronics:
Battery Capacity: 1160mAh
Discharge rate: 5V 1amp
Input rate: 5V .80amp
TAGS: QBracelet, QDesigns, External battery, Battery charger, Bracelet charger, Wearable technology
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: We did extensive in-person research with subjects, and collected data based on answers to questions on smartphones usage. Our results indicated that the majority of smartphone users experience a dead battery on a weekly basis, which leads to something called battery anxiety. These users often don't own external batteries, which can be carried to recharge their devices. Our insight from this research indicted there is a large market opportunity to develop innovative mobile charging solution.
CHALLENGE: This was the first physical product that we designed, and as a result we had to undergo an immense learning curve. We were constantly told that parts of the design were not feasible, for example the curved battery, but through determination we overcame these challenges. Looking back, with the expertise we gained in this process, we could probably now build the QBracelet in half the time and cost!
ADDED DATE: 2014-12-04 17:07:37
TEAM MEMBERS (2) : James Kernan and Alessandro Libani
IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1: Creator Snap Solutions V.O.F., QBracelet, 2014.
Image #2: Creator Snap Solutions V.O.F., QBracelet, 2014.
Image #3: Creator Snap Solutions V.O.F., QBracelet, 2014.
Image #4: Creator Snap Solutions V.O.F., QBracelet, 2014.
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