Noticeably easier
measurably faster
HELIO is full of features that make it easy for you to create industrial HMIs. It's developed directly with real-time data and, thanks to web technology, HELIO is platform-independent, fully responsive, and future-proof.
HMIs can be implemented without programming knowledge, numerous usability features ensure a better user experience, while design systems enable consistent design. Data points are easy to connect and manage.
HELIO Features
Developed by certified UX experts, HELIO provides sophisticated elements and templates that deliver professional interface design out of the box.
Not only is the HMI result easy to operate - the HELIO IDE itself is also quick and easy to use, helping to significantly reduce development costs.
A detailed fact sheet and a comprehensive documentation are available:
Documentation
Simplified project planning
Fast development
with real-time data
When editing an HMI with HELIO, the real live data can be displayed in the editor at any time. This is not a static image of the application, but always the “real” HMI.
HELIO does not require a compile step between the editor and the finished HMI. Time-consuming and nerve-wracking intermediate steps are no longer necessary.
This is more than WYSIWYG - it is “What You See Is What It Is”.
The advantages
- Rapid prototyping on the target hardware with realistic machine data is crucial for creating efficient and trend-setting HMIs.
- The ability to iterate quickly and try out ideas speeds up product development immensely.
What HELIO does best
- HELIO makes it possible to design and iterate the HMI as close as possible to the machine and its live data.
Open web standards Web technology: Independent & future-proof
Because HELIO is based on web technology, it is completely independent of the hardware or software used. The HMIs developed with HELIO run securely and stably in the browser.
This makes HELIO particularly **future-proof, as the replacement of hardware - whether displays, computers or machine components - has no impact on operability.
HELIO is also completely flexible when it comes to the type of input method, whether mouse, keyboard or touch. HELIO can also work across all platforms on any device running a browser. Whether Windows, Linux, Android, Mac oder Docker.
The advantages
- High resilience to changing hardware or software requirements.
- Usage of JavaScript/TypeScript with React for a fast, modular UI development
Why choose HELIO
- HELIO makes it easy to work on HMIs without having to install heavy software on the development computers. It is simply called up via the browser. The project data is stored securely on the development computer.
- In addition, other web applications, for example from third-party manufacturers, can be integrated quickly and easily.
No Code + SDK
HMI development without
programming effort
No programming knowledge is required to create an HMI with HELIO. This enables not only developers but also other team members to make adjustments to HMIs.
This means better results can be achieved faster and human resources can be better utilized. A powerful SDK also enables developers to create individual elements.
The advantages
- To deliver consistent and reliable HMIs, you should write as little software as possible, as software projects are difficult to calculate, manage and scale.
- Industrial machines are often developed for highly specialized use cases in small to medium quantities. This requires a high degree of flexibility to adapt to different systems and customer requirements. It is precisely these special adaptations that are better realized through configuration than through the use of code. This makes them quicker and easier to implement.
Why choose HELIO
- Thanks to its user-friendly no-code approach, HELIO enables not only developers but also other team members to make adjustments to HMIs. Project managers and UX designers can therefore be just as actively involved in the implementation of HMIs.
- Thanks to HELIO, machine HMIs can be maintained and supported in the long term.
- An SDK is also available for ambitious projects, which allows you to create your own elements, pages etc. as building blocks.
"Anyone who switches to HMI development with HELIO will notice the difference immediately: developing user-friendly HMIs without any programming effort is almost child's play."
Philipp Kruse,
HELIO Technical Management
Flexible & adaptive
True responsiveness.
On all Devices
HELIO is inspired by the architecture of modern websites. This means that the elements of the HMI adapt intelligently to the respective end device.
Whether 27-inch monitor, tablet or smartphone: all HMIs built with HELIO automatically optimize their layout for the respective screen size - without the need to create a separate screen layout.
The challenge
- Industrial HMIs must be highly adaptable. There are many reasons for this: Panel suppliers need to be converted, larger HMI panels are becoming available, or customers want to equip shift supervisors with mobile tablets to monitor machines from anywhere in the production plant.
Why choose HELIO
- Absolute positioning is a thing of the past. HELIO relies on flexible content instead of rigid pixels.
- This approach makes it possible to create a content structure for HMIs that can be adapted to different panel and screen sizes and different forms of user input.
- This creates true responsiveness without zooming or sideways scrolling.
Advantages for operators Usability out of the box
User interfaces that that prioritize users and usability work better, faster more easily, because they are more than just superficial enhancements. Thanks to intelligent UX components, HELIO takes care of the interface design for you.
We have been designing and developing internationally award-winning user interfaces for over ten years. This expertise has gone into the development of HELIO.
Your benefits
A positive user experience is a great competitive advantage because it allows customers to realize the full potential of their machines. But a successful UX requires a lot of time and effort. To achieve this, product teams must create HMIs that not only reflect their own mental model but above all that of their customers. This can be challenging, especially when the team consists mostly of engineers who are also involved in the development of the PLC that controls the machine.
Thus HELIO
The HELIO, or rather the HELIO design system, incorporates the ideas, knowledge and experience of our design and UX specialists. We have more than 20 years of experience, especially in the industrial context. Therefore, we took care of many design decisions for you, so that your team can focus on the most important task: the development of the actual product.
Design-System Consistent Design and operation. Cross-Product
HELIO is a tool for rolling out a design system consistently and company-wide on machines and offering a uniform user interface across all products.
This enables operators to find their way around each of your HMIs intuitively. This reduces training times and communicates a uniform corporate UI to the outside world.
The challenge
Ensuring a consistent UX across different teams is a challenge due to the different needs, requirements and technical circumstances of the individual products. Establishing a standard design system that meets the requirements of all products and teams is often impossible.
Why choose HELIO
HELIO gives teams a head start with its integrated design system that contains the most important input and output elements. By separating content and style, HELIO ensures that product teams stay within the boundaries of this design system.
Data Points Connect and model data. Simply flexible
HELIO offers different approaches to create a comprehensible and maintainable data model:
- Importing and adopting an existing data model (PLC-driven approach).
- Individual modeling of variables and their types (HMI-driven approach).
The challenge
Data management is an often underestimated and unpopular, but essential part of your work on an HMI. Creating a comprehensible and maintainable data model requires close collaboration with the control team. In practice, there are two ways to do this.
Why choose HELIO
HELIO makes it possible to realize different approaches. The PLC data model can simply be imported into the HMI via drag & drop, or built directly in the HMI and provided with metadata to discuss it with team colleagues.
HELIO Documentation
The knowledgebase
The HELIO Documentation is a comprehensive and constantly updated collection of resources, guides, videos and references. Here you will find everything you need to know to easily create your own HMIs with HELIO.
docs.helio-hmi.com
