GoPro MAX — Heman Au

GoPro MAX is the company’s second generation 360 action camera. It is 20% smaller and 25% lighter than its predecessor FUSION. It is a three in one camera capable of shooting single-lens HERO-style video with unbreakable stabilization, capturing immersive 360 footage in 5.7K, or vlogging to the max with shotgun-mic performance and a front-facing screen.

Scope of work included: form development, architecture exploration, iterative prototyping, ergonomic studies, CMF exploration, review/approve DFMs, develop/implement design specifications, review/approve golden samples, regulatory artwork, and sustaining manufacturing support. Launched on October 2019.

As the industrial design lead, I was responsible for managing and executing industrial design efforts and anticipating potential issues through each stage of the product development cycle. I collaborated closely with the design team, cross functional teams, external vendors, and other stake holders leveraging the best ideas possible to meet product, engineering, and cost requirements. Each design detail was carefully and thoughtfully crafted with the customer and the GoPro brand promise in mind. I also worked with the product and engineering teams to define and develop an ecosystem of accessories for Max.

There were many design challenges in meeting all the engineering and product requirements in such a small form factor. One of which involved the six onboard microphones which combine to create spherical audio, directional audio, wind-noise reduction, and the best sound ever from a GoPro. These six mics had to be placed in very specific locations (relative to each other) in three dimensional space to create the spherical “ambisonic” sound. The precise location of the mics and the z-stack thickness posed a very challenging problem for design. Collaborating with the audio and mechanical leads, we explored many different architectures, locations, and visual treatments. What we decided on were two mic array elements located on both sides of the camera which visually strengthens the story that this camera boast the best audio ever from a GoPro.

Owlet Cam

Waterpik Skincare