Tuftec was engaged by Hitnet Innovations Pty Ltd to develop a robust outdoor digital information kiosk that could be used to deliver health and community specific information to isolated communities.
The product needed to have a friendly appearance, an intuitive user interface and be suitable for use by a wide range of age groups with limited exposure to computing technology devices.
In keeping with the friendly theme, the new kiosk was named “Max”.
Max has been designed to operate, from internal rechargeable batteries, in all weather conditions. A high brightness, sunlight readable, large format touch screen provides the primary interface with users. Crisp audio messages are delivered via fully weather-proof speakers.
The design brief called for a minimum battery run time of 12 hours under heavy use conditions. Typically, Max would be wheeled out into a public area during the day for general use and then returned to a charging station in the evenings.
The internal components within Max were selected to provide the best compromise for low power consumption, consistent with battery operation, while delivering a high level of performance. This enables rich multimedia content to be delivered to the users.
A separate weather deflection shelter was developed as part of the project. This provides additional protection for the Max kiosk and the user during regular use. The docking assembly, within the shelter, enables the kiosk to be locked into place to deter theft. The shelter can also provide power to the kiosk for charging when docked.
The solution incorporates the integration of a public WiFi access point. This provides users in the area, no cost access to the internet and locally hosted community information. An essential feature to help reduce the digital divide within these isolated communities.
Max has been successfully installed in a number of isolated communities around Australia and is now being rolled out into several Pacific Island locations. A number of which rely on locally installed solar panels to provide direct power connection to the Max kiosk to keep the batteries topped up. Thereby, providing a total ecologically friendly, off grid information delivery and communications solution for these isolated communities.
“We engaged Tuftec to help us with the challenge of developing a tough outdoor touchscreen kiosk. We gave them specific requirements for what the technology needed to withstand in the harsh outdoor environment of remote Australia. Tuftec listened and responded accordingly. We now have an innovative technology solution that is breaking down many barriers to bridge the digital divide”
Julie Gibson, CEO, Hitnet Innovations Pty Ltd (www.hitnet.com.au).
