Name: SonoSite Edge II

Development: 2014 - 2015

Role: Lead Industrial Designer

Design Leadership: Craig Chamberlain, David Wykes

Team: Ben Dekock, Evan MacCormick, Tyler Dawson

The SonoSite Edge II is a diagnostic portable ultrasound machine, designed specifically for emergency medicine and critical care. This do it all device is used by doctors to find answers to patient conditions, and is most commonly found rolling around emergency rooms and ICUs.

What is point-of-care ultrasound?
Ultrasound provides a non-invasive window into the human body. Point-of-care (POC) ultrasound is where the device is brought to the patient’s bedside (the point of care), rather than the patient going to the device in its permanent location in the hospital or clinic. This reduces the amount of time it takes for a physician to get the answers needed to determine a patient’s course of treatment, and in emergency scenarios could be the difference between life and death. Point-of-care ultrasound serves three major medical subspecialties: emergency medicine, critical care, and anesthesiology.

In 2014, SonoSite kicked off the industrial design refresh for the Edge II portable ultrasound machine. The Edge II was an update to the original form factor, with the goal to increase usability specifically related to the keyboard and primary imaging controls. User research had revealed that doctors and clinicians were dissatisfied with the mechanism that actuated the preexisting keyboard. We updated and resolved this by transitioning over to snap domes as the mechanism under the keyboard, and changed the geometry and layout of the keys. The gain control (responsible for brightness and contrast of the image) was transitioned into three individual rotary knobs, which provided greater adjustment control. The keyboard in its entirety was simplified down to one compression molded part which was painted, laser ablated, and ultimately clear coated to create a strong and chemical resistant surface. The overall form factor received subtle geometry and surfacing changes, and was holistically slimmed up. The chassis was re-tooled and manufactured in magnesium for increased strength and weight reduction.

Main housings: Magnesium, painted chemical resistant black

Chassis: Magnesium, painted chemical resistant gunmetal gray

Keypad: Compression molded silicone, painted black, laser ablated graphics.

Standhead: Diecast aluminum, powder coated black.

Stand column: Extruded aluminum, anodized clear, vertical brush

Stand components: Die cast aluminum, powder coated black.

Storage container: Injection molded Tritan, MT11020