Revolutionizing Occupational Health Monitoring with an Ergonomic, IoT-Enabled Sampler

In response to stringent new national health standards and intensified government supervision, our client, a leading instrument manufacturer, faced a critical need for a next-generation air sampling solution. LKK Design was engaged to lead the complete product development of an intelligent, portable air sampler. This project showcases our expertise in creating sophisticated professional instruments that excel in user experience, technical precision, and smart data management.

Our client's target market includes government supervision units and top-tier occupational health service providers, such as the CDC and occupational disease prevention hospitals. The existing samplers on the market were often cumbersome, difficult to manage for group sampling, and lacked the data integrity features required by modern quality control protocols.

The challenge was to design a system that was not only accurate and reliable but also wearable for extended periods, capable of multi-device, and intelligent enough to prevent tampering and ensure data traceability.

• Product Positioning: A high-end solution for regulated occupational health monitoring.

• User-Centric Goals:

1. Enhanced Wearability: An ultra-compact, lightweight design for comfortable, unobtrusive personal sampling over 1-hour+ periods.

2. Intelligent Management: IoT functionality for real-time data upload, multi-device collaborative control, and movement trajectory tracking.

3. Multi-Functionality: Capable of expanding into safety leak detection with a smart strap and sensor module.

4. Robust Performance: Precise flow control (10-300 ml/min), long battery life, explosion-proof certification, and resilience in harsh environments.

LKK Design managed the entire product development lifecycle, integrating multiple disciplines to deliver a holistic solution.

Design Research
Our team conducted field research to observe occupational health technicians. Key insights revealed that cable management, host attachment, and managing multiple units were major pain points. This directly informed our core concepts: a hidden air path, an anti-tamper smart strap, and an IoT-based collaborative control system.

Industrial Design 

• Ergonomics: The host features a compact, rounded form factor to prevent snagging and ensure comfort against the body.

• Professional Aesthetic: A clean, rigorous design language with a thoughtful choice of materials and colors communicates reliability and precision.

• Smart Strap: Made from anti-static, flame-retardant material, it seamlessly integrates the host and features LEDs for clear status indication.

Mechanical Structure Design

• Miniaturization: Through highly integrated internal architecture and lightweight materials, we achieved a compact and light form factor without compromising performance.

• Durability: The structure was designed to withstand impacts and drops, verified through rigorous environmental testing.

• Air Path & Sealing: An optimized air path ensures stable flow and enables critical anti-tamper alarm functionality.

Electronic Design

• Hardware Design: A high-capacity battery pack was integrated for extended operation. A high-performance pump ensures precise constant flow. Multiple external interfaces support various communication methods.

• Firmware Development: Advanced algorithms maintain a precise constant flow, unaffected by voltage or resistance changes. It supports multiple sampling modes and features like auto-calibration and anomaly alerts.

• Software & IoT Development: We developed a companion app and cloud platform to monitor and control up to 4 samplers simultaneously. The system enables real-time data upload, trajectory recording, and automatic calibration logging for full data traceability.

Prototyping & Testing

We built multiple functional and engineering prototypes, subjecting them to extensive tests:

• Flow Accuracy & Stability: Verified under varying voltage and resistance.

• Battery Life & Environmental Testing: Ensured reliability in extreme temperatures and conditions.

• Wearability & Strap Durability: Conducted long-term wear trials with end-users.

• IoT & Certification Testing: Validated all smart features and ensured the design met explosion-proof safety standards.

LKK Design delivered the entire project—from initial research to mass-production-ready design—within a 6-month R&D cycle.

We provided end-to-end services, including user research, product strategy, industrial design, mechanical and electronic engineering, software development, prototyping, testing, and support for mold development. The resulting product sets a new industry standard, offering unparalleled user comfort and robust data management capabilities, empowering our client to lead the market in intelligent occupational health monitoring.

LKK Design: We drive product innovation through strategic design, empowering our partners to achieve excellence.