New Fitness Device! Feedback Required!

Hello,

I am a student designing a fitness device, primarily suited for the elderly. The aim of this design is to design a method of exercise, which incorporates upper chest strength, however not at an overly-heavy resistance/weight. This design is not completely flawless, and would greatly appreciate all sorts of helpful and critical feedback.

Usage:
The device is in the form of a tube, and two rotating knobs - one on each end. There is a resistance band inserted into the tube, rotating and wrapping around a pole that runs through. To use, the bands are to be pulled in an opposite direction, applying resistance and stretch on the chest. To retract the bands, simply rotate either knobs on each end.

Thank You,
John Tai



It’s a good idea to share your project here and get feedback. It’s also good that you built a prototype. That’s the good news…

Here the not so good news. You need to build a much better, more detailed presentation for us to take your project idea seriously.
Show us your market research and reasoning for this specific design. What was your process like? How did you arrive at this solution?
Why is this specifically successful with for the elderly market?

Right now it feels a bit like you had an idea, mocked it up quickly and are relying on the forum to fill in the gaps of your project.

My first thought was, how is this better than classic elastic bands, which are probably much cheaper to produce, less fussy and more versatile?

You say this is for the elderly?

In my previous design experience with the elderly (which is a tough market to design for) I ask you:

Why would they want this? What’s it to them? How is this product inspiring or fun to them to make it worth their time/effort?

I rarely see dozens of senior citizens stretching arm bands trying to get swole. However, on the flipside I have designed exercise products before and because of research I truly believe that strength training is crucial in everyday life to live longer and healthier lives…so with that said view my questions as challenges for a good problem to solve! :slight_smile:

-Patrick

Looks like an infomercial product. Technology that you can see makes it more valuable/efficient/new/etc. Seems to me you got inspired by the spinning tube and wanted to use it somehow. It is cleaver.
So in order to retract the bands you have to rotate the knobs each time? Really? Can’t you figure out a way for them to rotate back by themselves? Maybe provide additional resistance while they are retracting?
Also, first thing I noticed was how you grab the bands? I bet it would be uncomfortable for most people, let alone Seniors with arthritis.
Don’t let the excitement of building something that works get in the way of the real goals/challenges to solve.

You’ve got a pretty good first prototype and now it’s time to use your experience with it as feedback to improve your next prototype!

I like how you’re thinking about neatly storing this type of resistance band since both types pictured in this thread can look pretty messy when lying around not in use. Maybe explore the storage theme a little more while incorporating a grip that would be easier for an older person to hold on to during exercising instead struggling to hold on to a thin sheet of rubber like FH13 mentioned. I’m thinking you could bond two cylindrical foam handles to the ends of the resistance band then roll them up on a flat surface into something kind of like a scroll. Just an idea.

I’m looking forward to seeing your progress and what you come up with. Remember, keep your prototypes simple so you don’t favor ones that took more work to finish and keep going until you find the best solution. Good luck!