Carrying System

The Master Thesis project “Tortoise - a conceptual carrying system for sensitive equipment”, by Rasmus Lindström and Alexander Littorin was conducted at the department of Product and Production Development at Chalmers University of Technology. The project was made in collaboration with the Malmö-based company Boblbee.

Boblbee produces carrying solutions for the active user, mainly through various backpacks for skiing, motorcycle riding and photography. However, there is a gap in their product portfolio, manifested by the lack of a comfortable and reliable carrying system for sensitive equipment. The aim of this project is to design, develop and present a product concept for an ergonomically comfortable and impact resistant carrying system for tachymeters that may be used all over the world. Tachymeters (or total stations) are sensitive optical instruments that are used by professionals to produce accurate measurements.

They are large, expensive, heavy and easily damaged by impacts. Hence, in the development of a carrying concept for sensitive equipment, tachymeters constitute an ideal reference product. Furthermore, as tachymeters are currently transported in protective cases that are unsuitable for longer hikes there is a market for a novel carrying solution that combines the necessary protection with well-developed ergonomics.

The final concept is a backpack with a hard and a soft shell. Sensitive equipment can be safely transported in a padded compartment, designed to prevent ingress of fluids and particles. The softer elements serve to attenuate impacts as well as connecting the final concept to Boblbee’s brand identity. The bottom of the backpack is reinforced in order to allow for a stabile placement and heavy usage. The back panel and waist belt are designed to provide a comfortable carrying experience.

The research for the design comprised interviews and observations of survey engineers, a benchmark, ergonomic evaluations and a literature review on anatomy, load carriage and form design. Boblbee’s brand identity was analysed in order to ensure that the final concept would fit in the company’s product portfolio.