ABB wins award for azimuth lever design

Power and automation technology group, ABB, announced yesterday that it has won the “red dot award” 2013 for product design in recognition of an azimuth lever developed to steer large ships with decimetre accuracy.

The azimuth lever also allows large vessels to turn a full 360 degrees on their own axis. ABB says that it has been designed specifically for the cruise ship market.

The device is integrated into ABB’s Intelligent Manoeuvring Interface system, which features the company’s Azipod propulsion system. Propeller speed is controlled by moving the horizontal axis of the lever, while the steering angle is controlled by rotating the lever around its vertical axis.

 Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division, said: “The new lever design was conceived to improve both usability and ergonomics and thereby enhance safety levels.

“Winning the red dot award means a great deal to us and shows that we met our goal to create a distinctive, clear and simple human-machine navigational interface that offers precise and predictable control for different vessel types.”

One of the features of the latest azimuth lever is the use of programmable detents – “feeling” points – in the lever. The shape of the lever is designed to fit easily into the palm of the hand and the lever direction can be determined by its shape, providing tactile feedback. The design also features scale lamps that can be adjusted to maximise visibility at night or in bright sunshine.

According to ABB, the design was assessed by an international panel of 37 experts and was judged amidst a field of products submitted by more than 1,800 manufacturers, designers and architects from 54 countries.