UNTERENTFELDEN, SWITZERLAND, April 25—Leica Geosystems, supplier of hardware and software packages to the industrial metrology market, has been recognized with the 2008 red dot Product Design Award in the Industry and Crafts category for its Absolute Tracker laser tracker.

“Successful products differ from the less successful ones by being able to assert themselves in the real world,” explains Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, a design expert and the founder of the red dot award.

The selection for the red dot award is conducted by a jury of design experts from universities and design studios. The jury members judge and evaluate the products based on their innovativeness, functionality, ergonomics, longevity, ecologic sustainability and degree of intuitiveness. This year, a total of 3,203 designs from 51 countries in 16 categories were submitted for consideration.

Duncan Redgewell, vice president, Hexagon Metrology Portable Product Line, notes, “We at Leica Geosystems and Hexagon Metrology are extremely honored and proud to receive this award. When we started working on the design of the new Leica Absolute Tracker, we had one simple rule to follow: Its form had to follow its function. The Absolute Tracker’s style reflects its efficient, judicious internal design.”