Interactive kiosks have been around since the 80’s, but they suffered from an overall poor reputation for a variety of reasons. osk-R1 was developed to change all of that and it succeeded fabulously.

At the time I started working on this, LCD based kiosks were almost unheard of. I was inspired by a Canadian unit that was slim and nice, but had certain shortcomings. My mandate was to overcome all of those limitations and create something more appealing. osk-R1 did exactly that.

To this day, the kiosk has a distinctive style, with transecting curves that draw the eye without being tacky or overdone. It’s a small system that can house a range of peripherals including a camera, mic, automatic daylight/lowlight readable screen, fragrance system (SPIA iScent), thermal printer, bill acceptor, keyboard, card reader, RFID reader, bar code reader, presence sensor, and a UPS.

It was designed at a time when tablet components didn’t exist, so it took a ton of engineering to make bulky components work in a svelte design. LCD viewing angles were also poor, so I designed the adjustable head so that very tall users or those in wheelchairs could tilt the screen as needed.

My engineering process began with market/user research, followed by concept sketches, then full scale wood/metal models, production ready CAD drawings, a BOM (bill of materials), finish specs, and component spec sheet.

osk-R1 found a home in many environments including retail, trade shows, and casinos. It was recognized by Kiosk Magazine and numerous retail publications.

Closing note: IBM was so inspired by osk-R1 that they knocked off the design (poorly).