Materials innovation changes approach to humanitarian communications

From bulky 19″ rack to ultra-compact lightweight hand luggage

Sometimes you need to bring new materials thinking into product design, to ensure that you really meet the needs of end users. 

Voyager 8 is an ultra-portable system designed to allow rapid deployment of critical data and communications services for first response and humanitarian teams in crisis zones. It can be pre-loaded with up to 8 Voyager modules. Previous products have evolved from bulky 19-inch racks, but Voyager 8 is different – it has been designed as a lightweight airline carry-on case.

To achieve its ultra-compact size, Voyager 8 has 3 key innovations: Firstly, each modular bay shares a common power and cooling backplane, eliminating duplication; Secondly, each module acts a heatsink allowing the technology to be densely packaged; Finally, the outer case is made from super-thin, but ultra-strong carbon fibre which provides extreme protection while reducing size and weight. Voyager 8’s removable covers allow fast access while it’s integrally designed rugged wheels and retractable handle allow for easy handling while on the move.

Our longstanding design collaboration with Klas Telecom has resulted in a number of award winning products where the focus was on bringing radically different materials housing solutions to telecoms technology that needed to survive the harshest of the worlds environments.