Demanding environments may be a bit too much for standard electronics. That’s why companies buy industrial devices specially designed for harsh conditions. However, there are dozens of such products on the market. Get oriented with our guide.
What is the difference between rugged and standard electronics?
In an industrial environment, you likely encounter rugged laptops and tablets (we’ll leave company cell phones aside for now). Many enterprises also use the industrial smart glasses—especially for the employees that need to work hands-free.
What do these devices have in common? The answer is obvious: the durability levels, which are far higher in the rugged electronics than in the standard electronics. When choosing an industrial device, pay particular attention to these parameters:
Protection against water and dust
Delicate electronics are very prone to dust and moisture ingress. Therefore, the devices designed for outdoor or harsh environment use need to be equipped with a sufficient degree of protection to be able to function in such conditions.
The level of protection against solid (dust) particles and water is usually denominated by the abbreviation IP (ingress protection) followed by a two-digit number, e.g., IP 65. The first digit (1–6) marks the device’s level of protection against the ingress of solid particles. The second one (1–9) describes its level of protection against water ingress.
Generally speaking, the higher the number, the higher the level of protection. For instance, this means a device with IP 65 protection is dust-proof and protected against low-pressure water jets from any angle.
Operating temperature
When selecting electronics, also consider the temperature at which the device will be used. Why? The “common” devices may not function in freezing temperatures. More often than not, they also tend to overheat at temperatures exceeding several dozen degrees Celsius, which may cause problems in many manufacturing plants. The industrial electronics, on the other hand, can withstand even really hot and freezing temperatures.
Shock resistance
It’s not uncommon to drop a device during field work. Therefore, it’s advisable to equip your technicians with rugged electronics that withstand such handling.
How do you recognize this equipment? The manufacturers of rugged electronics usually mention drop height, which the device can handle, in the product details. Another useful indicator is the device’s certification. For example, many popular devices are tested by the military MIL-STD-810 standards (however, this is a broad methodology, so we recommend checking which specific durability parameters the manufacturer has tested before making a purchase).
Price
The industrial devices are usually more expensive than the standard ones. Nevertheless, they counterbalance their price tags with premium durability and many useful features that “classic” tablets or laptops couldn’t offer. Usually, there’s a direct proportion: the higher the protection level, the higher the price. For this reason, we recommend choosing a device with a protection level you truly need.
What devices are available on the market?
Rugged laptops
A typical rugged laptop withstands a smaller fall as well as substantial temperatures and humidity levels. Popular manufacturers of industrial laptops are Panasonic, Durabook or Getac.
As an example, we can take a Getac S510 rugged laptop with Intel® Core™ Ultra 5/7 CPU and ingress protection IP53. This laptop is a good choice for outdoor work and it is able to handle temperatures from -20.2 °F to 145.4 °F, light rain, or a drop from a low height (less than a meter). It also has hot-swappable batteries (i.e., you can change its batteries during operation).
Naturally, there are even more durable laptops available for purchase if you need a device for very harsh conditions. However, the higher their protection level is, the higher the price.
Rugged tablets
Rugged tablets are usually as durable as rugged laptops—but they are much more compact. They normally offer various ingress protection levels and they can handle more extreme temperatures as well. Frequently, they are also equipped with hot-swappable batteries.
Both rugged tablets and laptops also have high-brightness displays (up to 4 times higher than that of office electronics); therefore, they are easy to read even in bright sunlight. Moreover, the screens of rugged tablets are often easier to clean when they get very dirty.
There are plenty of various rugged tablets by brands like Getac, Panasonic, Emdoor, Ruggon etc. available on the market. Usually, they run on operating systems Windows or Android.
Industrial smart glasses
Smart glasses offer one significant advantage over the previous devices: they can be controlled hands-free, most often via voice commands or eye movements. This leaves technicians with both hands free to work. Moreover, the glasses are very lightweight, and many models can be attached to a work helmet, so you don’t have to carry a bulky laptop. Smart glasses typically run on the Android operating system, though versions with other systems are also available.
Smart glasses usually come equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, a camera, and a microphone with a speaker, so they can handle video calls as well. They may look fragile but don’t get fooled. Industrial smart glasses are made from durable materials and can withstand just as much rough handling as industrial tablets and laptops. That means they can handle both high and freezing temperatures and are also resistant to drops, dust, and water.
Among the most popular smart glasses are models from RealWear and Vuzix. For example, very popular are the RealWear Navigator 520 smart glasses, featuring Android, voice control, an 8-core Snapdragon™ CPU, an IP66 rating, and MIL-STD-810H standard compliance. Their display is positioned on a practical arm near the eye, and the device’s battery can last up to 8 hours on a single charge.
Interested in details? Take a look at the great comparison of Lumnio-compatible smart glasses.
