Leica CS20 field controller honoured with Red Dot Award

The new Leica CS20 field controller received an Honourable Mention in the Red Dot Awards: Product Design 2015.

Out of 4,928 entries from 56 countries, the Leica CS20 field controller was selected for particularly well-executed aspects of design work as one of only 122 product designs to receive an Honourable Mention.

“Innovation is not always visible with the naked eye. Often it is hidden aspects, such as a refined technology inside the product or an improved combination of materials, that constitute a lucid and sometimes brilliant new development,” said Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award. “We can therefore count ourselves lucky that year after year we are able to appoint an expert, experienced and high-profile jury that doesn’t miss a beat. All those who are successful before this jury have invested a lot of time and understanding into the product submitted. They are completely deserving of their reward, which permits them to use the globally recognised seal of good design.”

Ergonomic Design

Leica CS20 field controller honoured with Red Dot AwardThe Red Dot Awards: Product Design 2015 was divided into 31 categories judged by a 38-member panel of design professionals from 25 countries. The experts included Danish fashion designer David Andersen, German materials expert Dr. Sascha Peters and Wen-long Chen, CEO of the Taiwan Design Center.

The award justification for the Leica CS20 explained how the field controller “has an extremely stable and robust two and three-component housing made from high-tech plastics. The clear layout of the ergonomic controls and the emphasis of the primary function keys ensure simple use even with gloved hands. The device’s centre of gravity is located in the tapered grip area. The back has been designed with maximum flatness to ensure an effortless grip.” Commenting on the design of the Leica CS20, the jury reported “the ergonomic form of the field controller is subtly highlighted by the circumferential light-green band. The housing has a high-quality finish.” Leica CS20 field controller honoured with Red Dot awardThe jury decides the winners have extensive evaluation of:

• Degree of innovation
• Ergonomics
• Product periphery
• Functionality
• Durability
• Self-explanatory quality
• Formal quality
• Symbolic and emotional content
• Ecological compatibility

The Leica CS20 was entered into the Industry & Crafts category of the competition by the design firm platinumdesign, responsible for working with the Leica Geosystems Geomatics Division to create the concept for the field controller.

“The team worked extremely hard to create a design that would work well with all the demanding situations today’s measurement professionals face,” said Matthias Wieser, platinumdesign design manager. “I am thrilled that we can share this honour with Leica Geosystems who provided the inspiration for such a successful design concept.”

Power in your hands

The Leica CS20 field controller was released 2 June as part of the Leica Captivate Experience. Integrated with Leica DISTO™ for accurate electronic distance measuring and including radio and antenna for long-range robotic total station control, the Leica CS20 field controller provides the ultimate in control and convenience with complete mobility. Touch screen technology allows for comfortable and quick data processing while a stunning 3D view transforms your Leica Viva GNSS and Leica Nova scanning experiences.

“With a renewed focus on customer experience, we wanted the design of the Leica CS20 to provide the most benefit for the measurement professional ,” said Alastair Green, Leica Geosystems field controllers and field surveying software program director. “This Red Dot Award provides the proof of concept we aimed to achieve, and I’m proud of the entire design team and our commitment to quality has paid off in earning this honour.”

The Leica CS20 will be on display for the next year at the Red Dot Design Museums in Essen, Taipei and Singapore.