Electronic smart locks are increasing in popularity with the rise of IoT and smart homes, as they provide convenience and a sense of security to consumers. Because they are typically battery-powered, energy efficiency to maximize battery life is crucial. The nature of these devices means they must also offer ease-of-use, stable operation, and the ability to withstand wide temperature ranges and ex...

Air purifiers and humidifiers must be able to reliably improve air quality for end users. The best designs also offer improved energy efficiency, convenience, and low noise. As more and more appliances are expected to be smart-home ready, consumers are demanding new features such as wireless connectivity for ease of control. To meet and exceed customer expectations, designers are challenged with f...

Ovens are a key household appliance, and one which consumers expect to be reliable, effective, convenient, and energy efficient. The rise of smart homes has added a new layer of design requirements to new generations of ovens, including durable and intuitive user interfaces, wireless connectivity, smart sensing, and predictive maintenance. IoT capabilities can help keep up with growing consumer ex...

Refrigerators must offer customers the key features of reliability, effective cooling, energy efficiency, and convenience. These key appliances must keep food the correct temperature without being noisy or significantly raising power bills. New generations of refrigerators are integrating smart-home ready features such as touch screens, wireless connectivity, and predictive maintenance. As one of ...

Sewing machines — especially those used in large industrial and factory applications — must offer high speed and accurate motor drive control to keep up with high demand and shrinking production times. As factories become smarter and automated equipment seeks to ever-increase manufacturing output, sewing machine designs need to deliver more functionality in smaller sizes. Low power consumption and...

Portable points of service (POS) are tasked with delivering fast, secure payment transactions amid changing payment methods and growing customer expectations. They must offer high reliability, long battery life, ease-of-use, and quick processing speeds to accelerate checkout times. As retail and service spaces increasingly compete with online goods and service providers, efficiency and convenience...

Security cameras have become an integral part of a connected smart home network.Ever-growing user expectations and increasing concern about both digital and physical threats mean new security cameras must offer more advanced features and higher integration than ever. In addition to energy efficiency, affordability, and low power consumption, todays advanced features include:- High-resolution imagi...

Air conditioners for both industrial and residential applications must offer customers the key features of reliability, energy efficiency, and convenience. The best air conditioning systems provide cool air without introducing a lot of noise or raising power bills. New generations of air conditioners are integrating smart-home ready features such as capacitive touch, predictive maintenance, and wi...

Scanners are incorporating more features into new designs, such as wireless and wired connectivity, embedded processing and safety features, and convenient user interfaces. Todays scanners must be able to quickly image high-quality renditions of documents or photos, and energy-saving trends have increased the need for ultra-low standby power and reduced energy consumption. Our cutting-edge soluti...

3D printers are an increasingly popular tool for industrial and home use. Their ability to print objects, rather than simply images or documents, opens up a world of possibility for the user and a range of challenges for the designer. Accurate, precise motor control is more important than ever in these devices, and speed is a key differentiator for new designs. Consumer expectations are growing fo...

Multi-function printers typically offer printing, scanning, copying, and sometimes more features within one consumer device. Both inkjet and laser printers are incorporating more features, easier wireless connectivity, and smoother user interfaces into new designs. These all-in-one printers must be able to quickly print or image high-quality renditions of documents or photos, and energy-saving tre...