Autonomous 4C seismic sensor for deep-water geophysical exploration.

Company strategy
SeaBed Geophysical offers expertise and services to the international oil industry in the field of seabed seismic exploration (geophysical investigations of the seabed). The market is dominated by a few major contractors, along with some niche contractors like SeaBed. In order to consolidate its position in the market, the company wanted to use industrial design as a strategic tool. As a result, instead of concentrating on what was technically possible, the focus was placed on the user and on designing a system where many of the components were multi-functional.

Gathering information
At the outset, SeaBed had ten years' experience and a great deal of knowledge about the technology, customers and market. It had previously been responsible for design and production itself, in addition to operating its own equipment. The company wanted to shift away from its own production and was looking for good industrial partners who could contribute their design skills and valuable expertise. Prior to embarking on the design project, Seabed had carried out in-depth surveys on the technology and construction methods so that it already had noted which solutions were possible, from a purely technical perspective. SeaBed and Abyssus were already collaborating on another project, which meant that it was natural to use the same design agency for the CASE Abyss project as well. During the first few months in the development phase, the industrial designer was on site at SeaBed's premises and was part of SeaBed's project group. Key suppliers were also involved early on in the development process, with a network being set up where the parties involved could contribute their areas of expertise.

Conceptualisation
Instead of allowing product development to be controlled by an evolutionary approach, the designer and company decided to break down the original basic design and build a new one, based on new requirements specifications. The first key issue encountered was which principle should be used for positioning and placing the seismic sensor on the seabed. There was no scope with this for compromising on accuracy and precision. A scenario was then devised for the work process for the new device. Once this was settled, detailed scenarios were produced for underwater use, handling by people and handling by machines. The key elements in the user scenario were safety, ergonomics and easy use in the work process. Reliability was the most important feature regarding handling by machines. The underwater scenario focused on the tasks on the seabed being carried out in a simple manner, ensuring that the device would be clearly visible.

Testing and choice of direction
Since CASE Abyss is a highly technical product, the focus was largely placed on evaluating and testing whether it was possible to achieve the technical and operational goals defined at the outset. There were certain components which dictated the device's final size to a large extent. Others could be shifted around to give greater freedom in the choice of design. In addition, material studies had been carried out previously, indicating that structures made purely of plastic did not provide the structural rigidity, strength and precision that were required. After discussions with a subcontractor, the decision was made to split the mechanical solution between the structural part (simplest possible aluminium frame) and a complex geometrical part (plastic), which arranged and protected the other components, while providing extensive design options.

Design specification
CASE Abyss is aesthetically inspired by the marine life on the seabed. The intention was for the device both to generate positive attention as an exhibition object and to clearly demonstrate its functions obvious. The organic form is also required to be able to drain off water. Its star-shaped design protects the internal components and frame from the pressure being exerted. When you open the device you will see that the top of all the cylindrical components is visible. The black circles are part of the product's identity and modern design. Given the fairly high number of devices which were planned for each boat installation, it was important to have component prices that were low, a cheap, efficient production process and a robust, reliable solution that could be stored more efficiently than the previous model. On top of this, both people and machines had to be able to handle it in a simple, ergonomic manner.

Development
Industrial design was given a strategic role between the complex mechanical processes which the product needs to perform and the system's operator. CASE Abyss is the result of this process in terms of its design and structure. The extensive involvement of subcontractors/manufacturers meant that many of the mechanical components could be produced on a semi-finished basis before their design was complete. The components for the CASE Abyss are manufactured by subcontractors in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the US and Spain. Final assembly and testing have been carried out by SeaBed in Trondheim, Norway. The main components in CASE Abyss are an aluminium frame and a plastic housing. The frame must be used to handle and transport the device under water and to handle and store it onboard the mother vessel (automatic machines), either individually or in groups of six. The frame also provides most of the structural strength and makes the product stackable. The plastic housing keeps all the various components in place and protects them from getting damaged. Its yellow colour with orange sections is standard for the industry. All the openings in the housing are designed to make it accessible for preparation and maintenance, even when CASE Abyss is stacked in groups of six. The majority of components are multi-functional and parts can be replaced, changed and updated without the life cycle cost being excessive.

Commercialisation
The design of CASE Abyss has been used as a means of expressing to the customer how the system works, whereas its predecessor was largely a "black box" product. Thanks to the new design, ships can also now take onboard more than twice as many seismic sensors as before. This means that they can generate data faster and better than rival products. Using industrial design has also added to the sense of pride among SeaBed Geophysical's employees, along with user benefits such as the device's enhanced ergonomic features.

Company: SeaBed Geophysical AS

Design: Abyssus Marine Services AS

Award / year: Honours Award for Design Excellence - 2009

Category: Winners