What motivated Skope to invest in the development of NYOX?

Simon: The roots of the «old» acquisition system date back to the early 2010s. Since then, technology, and our understanding of the target applications, has come a long way. The old platform no longer provided the experience we wanted to offer our customers. Additionally, it became increasingly difficult to maintain and update the aging platform. As a result, we decided to build an entirely new platform, featuring an all-new user interface and technical backend.

Samuel: The existing acquisition system is a well-functioning product that has provided valuable and reliable data for many, many years. However, it has several drawbacks. First, it is heavy and bulky, making it unsuitable for semi-portable systems. Furthermore, the main hardware unit is a modular third-party solution, which worked excellently for the first product generation, as our main focus in the past was on camera heads. However, these third-party components are multipurpose and modular, and therefore include many features that we weren’t previously using. Such a non-customized solution is not only expensive but also makes us dependent on a single supplier, increasing the risk that the lifespan of some key components will soon expire.

The user interface and software logic also need to be redesigned to provide a contemporary solution with new features, faster processing, and improved visual tools.

What were the most challenging aspects of bringing this product to life?

Simon: We wanted a complete overhaul of the platform. We touched almost every component of our portfolio and questioned nearly every single aspect of it; no stone was left unturned. At times, the entire company was involved in the project. For me, the most challenging aspect was avoiding getting stuck in the details and losing sight of the overall mission. And, of course, there were some tough technical nuts to crack…

Samuel: The biggest challenges certainly didn’t lie with the mechanical components but rather with the electronic components and software (and, by extension, the collaboration with other team members). Developing such a product from scratch comes with unexpected hurdles and twists. One of the biggest challenges for us was the long delivery times for components and the limitations of low order quantities. For a product-critical cable, it took more than two years from the start of the supplier search until we finally had the cable in our hands—mainly due to waiting for a production slot.

Did you gain any new skills or learn anything new during the development of this product?

Simon: Working closely with our wizards in the hardware and software teams certainly enhanced my knowledge of electronics and systems tremendously—I learned something new every day. But perhaps even more importantly, I was constantly challenged to evaluate things from multiple perspectives. We wanted to build a platform that meets the needs of all stakeholders, so we continuously asked ourselves questions like: What does the user want? How does it fit into the existing product ecosystem? What does it mean for our operations team?

Samuel: The entire hardware and software development team learned a lot of new things, and we were all involved in areas we weren’t fully familiar with, given the relatively small size of our team in relation to the scope of this project. I am personally responsible for all mechanical parts, such as the housing. In this project, I am also responsible for packaging, labels, safety stickers, and the handover to operations, and I continue to learn a great deal in these areas every day.