Creations – Bearded Hen

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Outram Research required an app to run on all screen sizes of Android smartphones and tablets, which could communicate with and control their electrical testing equipment in industrial and commercial environments.

Click here for Outram Research’s press release about the app.

Because the high voltage testing equipment it controls often operates in a very dangerous environment, the app communicates with the equipment via Bluetooth. This allows users to control the equipment and read off test results without going near the equipment, or even from outside the building.

The client

Outram Research Ltd are a specialist manufacturer of cutting-edge power quality monitors and analysers.

Their range of testing equipment is used by electrical generation and industrial clients worldwide. Having previously used Windows CE devices to control and monitor their equipment, they decided that these were rapidly becoming obsolete and being superseded by mobile phones and tablets which users were already carrying as a matter of course.

As they wished to supply tablets with their equipment, they chose to use Android devices because of their wide range of prices and models, suitable for all client types.

Features

Two-way Bluetooth communication to download diagnostic data and control operation of the equipment
Custom colour and screen adjustment interface to ensure output can be viewed clearly in all light conditions
Bearded Hen worked with the client to port their existing Windows C++ code to run natively within the Android app. This meant the complex software the client had already developed for controlling the equipment and reading off test results did not have to be entirely recreated for the move to Android

Live data readouts can be captured as screenshot images for later review or sharing with colleagues
Re-worked the existing Windows user interface to optimise for Android screen sizes and touch operation
Configurable interface to incorporate a number of output charts which are tabbed or tiled and resized to fit available screen space
Real-time views of harmonics, waveforms and measured parameters

Devices

All Android devices

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Sorry, this app is supplied with the client’s equipment and is not publicly available. Please get in touch to find out more…

About the app

Currently being used in two five-star London hotels (and planned to roll out to more), the app is designed to control all the electronic equipment in a hotel room (lights, air conditioning, TV, clock/alarm) via wi-fi from a single tablet.

The system makes it easy for guests to control their environment at the touch of a button. It also allows the hotel to control each room separately over IP if needed and to effectively communicate with guests by directly sending information, arranging bookings, receiving feedback etc.

The app works over IP via a wireless connection, using Modbus commands to control the lighting. Bearded Hen worked closely with the electrical installer during refurbishment of the hotels to create this flexible and expandable room control system.

As well as the tablet app, Bearded Hen also built a web-based “dashboard” so that it is possible to monitor the status and operation of each tablet as well as reconfiguring them if necessary. This allows hotels to gather important behavioural information as well as providing up-to-the minute support when tablets or electrical equipment fails, users experience problems/errors, or tablet batteries run flat.

The client

The app and admin website were built for a start-up business created by an ex-Samsung executive.

Our client used his extensive hospitality, hardware, manufacturing and software contacts to put together this innovative room control system, as well as sourcing custom “kiosk mode” tablets from Samsung.

Features

● Lighting control via Modbus commands
● Air conditioning control via IP communication with central server
● Internet TV controlled over IP
● Separate screens allow detailed control of each utility including lighting themes and brightness
● Inclusion of web based content within the app allows the hotel to interact with users by pushing promotions to the tablet, taking bookings/feedback etc.
● Custom ‘control panel’ website created to manage all tablets in use across all sites
● Tablet runs in ‘kiosk mode’ to prevent users exiting the room-control app

Devices

● Samsung Galaxy 7″ tablet with custom ‘kiosk mode’ ROM

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Sorry, this app is only for use by residents in the hotels, please get in touch to find out more…

About the app

Our goal for the “SO Mapps” was to replicate the appealing aesthetic and quirky nature of the client’s paper maps as well as providing additional revenue by broadening the reach of the maps, giving additional advertising opportunities for local businesses, and providing a digital sales channel for the maps themselves.

These native Android and iOS apps incorporate a high resolution zoomable map with simple navigation and filters to find places of interest. Both paid and free versions are available, the paid versions incorporating special offer vouchers to be redeemed at museums, restaurants and other venues. The free version can be “unlocked” to give these vouchers by users who’ve already purchased the physical map.

Features

Native Android and iOS apps for fast and responsive navigation of high resolution map
Free and paid versions offer more revenue opportunities for client
Filtering of places of interest by type to avoid “clutter” when zooming map
“Unlock” vouchers on free app by using code on paper map
Simple XML database for easy updates and extensibility including short term promotional offers

The client

“Sussed Out”, based close to our office in Bath, produce and sell a range of paper maps in a variety of UK tourist destinations. Their success lies in the quirky, friendly and “collectible” nature of hand-drawn maps, and good relationships with local advertisers and distributors to maximise revenues. In the age of Google/Apple Maps, it’s impressive that these quirky paper versions have carved out a significant niche as collectible souvenirs.

They approached us as a reputable and local developer capable of creating their apps, but also flexible enough to help them develop their digital revenues into the future.

Unusually we were so impressed with the appeal of the maps and the way SO Maps had already achieved significant penetration in our local town of Bath, that we were more than happy to work on a relatively modest up-front development fee plus a share of future digital revenues. It’s great to see well executed local businesses like this embrace their digital opportunities and ongoing we hope to work with them to help make their digital offerings as successful as the paper ones.

Devices

All Android smartphones and tablets running Android 4.12+
iPhones and iPads running iOS 8+

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Free App:

Paid App

About the app

The Fatsoma Mobile ticketing app allows users to get paper-less tickets instantly on their mobile phones for fast entry to events. No more paper tickets! All your event tickets can be on your phone immediately wherever you need them.

The app displays barcode pre-purchased e-tickets which can be scanned on the door of a venue with the Fatscan scanner app.

No more paper tickets! All your event tickets can be on your phone immediately wherever you need them.

Fatscan is a barcode scanning app used by event venues to identify valid ticket holders. The app can scan hard copy barcode tickets bought through Fatsoma’s ticketing system, or barcodes displayed on a smartphone using the Fatsoma app.

Fatscan downloads the database of ticket holders and holds it locally so that all the tickets can be checked for validity at lightning speed.

Multiple scanners can be used simultaneously and all scanners synchronize their databases frequently to avoid a ticket being used repeatedly.

Fatsoma Rep allows sales reps to sell tickets to customers face-to-face. The Rep app sends the customer a payment link via SMS and once payment is made at Fatsoma’s website, the ticket is issued to the customer’s phone. The app is updated in realtime with statistics for tickets sold, pending payments etc.

The client

Over 900,000 people use Fatsoma to buy tickets, start a party, and be in the know. Over 25,000 events have been ticketed using Fatsoma and 60,000 reps promote sales of those tickets.

Fatsoma is a ticketing and event promotion system which uses the social power of the internet and mobiles to allow anyone to set up events, sell tickets and appoint others to promote their events.

Features

● Facebook login integration
● User’s tickets cache locally so no internet connection is required at the venue
● Barcode scanning integration with Fatscan
● Instant visual & audible acceptance or rejection of ticket on Fatscan
● Multiple Fatscan scanners synchronise in real-time to avoid repeated use of tickets
● Rep app sends payment links via SMS
● Multi-platform – Android and iOS

Devices

● All Android Devices supporting Bluetooth 4.0
● iPhone 3GS & later*
● iPod Touch 3rd Gen & later*
● iPad*

* Requires iOS 5.0 or later Get it now

Fatsoma Mobile

The Fatsoma Rep app is not currently publicly available.

About the app

Maintaining equipment in a hostile offshore marine environment can expose maintenance workers to far more dangerous conditions than shore-based equivalents.

The Offshore Wind Management app was designed as part of a complete marine telemetry system for maintenance boats working on offshore wind farms.

Is a boat heaving, pitching or rolling too much to step off onto a fixed platform? When has rough weather caused an unhealthy level of stress on the crew? How can you gauge whether a boat is exerting an unsafe level of stress when pushing up against wind turbines for crew to disembark? These are issues a boat’s captain constantly has to judge in challenging conditions.

A tablet-based telemetry system linked to sensors on the boat can record and display vital measurements as well as warning when conditions are unsafe. We recently worked on a such a system for one of the leading offshore maintenance providers to the marine energy sector, creating a real-time monitoring interface to interact with a custom hardware system fitted to each boat and shore-based monitoring systems.

We’re now also working on a back-end web portal to manage system users and review historical data.

The client

We worked with Dyena, who design and manufacture electronic recording equipment for impact exposure monitoring, human factors research and vessel development, to create a prototype system for one of the world’s leading offshore maintenance providers to the marine energy sector.

Dyena created the on-board hardware, sensors and the overall architecture of the system, we created the tablet based app to act as a user interface and interact with the onboard hardware giving the vessel Captain accurate realtime information and routing data back to a shore based database for analysis.

Subsequent to this initial prototype, we’ve worked with Dyena to productise the system so it can be made available other operators, and to add a web-based management portal for system administration, managing users and reviewing historical data.

Features

Peer-to-peer wifi connection with proprietory hardware system
Display of real-time data for multiple data feeds on zoomable and scrollable animated graphs
Instant and intuitive “dashboard” of important statistics on boat’s status
Personnel Administration: crew listing uses NFC tags to monitor crew boarding and disembarking the boat allowing the captain to keep track of who is aboard/onshore
Large volumes of telemetry data stored for display on device and to be relayed back to shore based monitoring systems
Back-end web portal for clients to manage users and review historical data

Devices

Rugged Samsung Tablet running Android OS

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This app will be sold with the complete marine telemetry system, so cannot be downloaded separately.

Contact us to find out more.

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