design-molecule

A solar-powered, weatherproof sensor node with a common mounting, power and radio core, so any lab project that needs to measure something outdoors starts from the same tested base instead of a new enclosure and charger each time.

A sealed, swappable phase-change thermal cartridge in a few standard temperature ranges (cold chain, comfort and hot holding) that stores heat or cold and drops into coolers, cabinets and heat exchangers.

An open battery management board for small LiFePO4 packs (4 to 16 cells) with cell balancing, protection and a documented state-of-charge estimate, reusable across the lab's vehicles, storage and field kits.

Bolt-together cargo tricycle whose frame is cut from flat sheet steel by any laser or waterjet shop, uses standard bicycle parts, and ships flat.

Walking-treadmill vehicle: the rider stands upright and walks at a normal pace on a short free-running belt between the wheels, a belt-speed sensor sets the assist of a 250 W hub motor, and the vehicle moves at e-bike speed (up to 25 km/h) on a shared SwapCell pack. Walking is the control input; the motor does the work.

An acoustic leak sensor that clamps onto water mains and valves and listens overnight for the noise signature of leaks.

Retrofit kit that turns a manual pallet jack into a powered, walk-behind unit with a UWB follow-me mode and layered stopping.

A sound level meter node that records decibel levels only, never audio, to map traffic and nightlife noise.

A clip-on monitor for older machines: current clamp, vibration and temperature sensors report run time, load and early fault signs from lathes, pumps and compressors that have no electronics of their own.

A curbside loading bay occupancy sensor that shows delivery drivers which bays are free and gives cities data on curb use.

A well and borehole water level logger with a submersible pressure sensor and FieldNode telemetry, showing seasonal drawdown so communities can manage shared groundwater.

Walk-in evaporative cooling chamber with a solar fan that forces air through a wetted pad, and a controller that responds to humidity.

A street-level air quality node measuring PM2.5 and NO2, with particles checked on CalRig and NO2 calibrated against a reference station, for neighborhood-scale pollution maps.

A calibration rig for low-cost sensors: a sealed chamber with controlled temperature, humidity and particle levels plus reference instruments, so every lab sensor can be checked against a known value before and after deployment.

An open digital twin starter kit: a small edge gateway that collects readings from lab sensors (FieldNode and others), plus software that ties live data to each project's build123d model so it can be seen and compared with the design calculations.

A standard controller and safety module (open motor controller, e-stop, speed limit and brake interlock) with a named reference hub motor, which the lab's mobility and automation designs bolt on rather than re-engineer.

An open streetlight controller that dims LED streetlights by schedule and presence, reports faults and hosts other city sensors on the lamp pole.

Tethered tracked crawler with a camera, lights and laser ring profiling that measures pipe deformation and blockage.

Portable dynamic cone penetrometer with a digital depth encoder and blow counter that logs penetration curves to a phone.

A street-side battery swap and charging station for SwapCell packs, serving e-bikes, cargo trikes and delivery riders with charged batteries in seconds.