Rationale: The Step Press
The Step Press is a variation of the popular hand grips used for body and leisure workouts, but designed to be used for the calf muscle. It works by the user placing a foot on the top pedal and using the calf muscle to press down, with a torsion spring providing resistance. The target market this product is aimed at are young office working men aged between 21- 31. They are men that are health conscious and regularly work out at the gym and enjoy social outings.
The idea for this design came about when researching different work out equipment; I noticed that there weren’t many tools designed for leg workouts that could be easily accessed anytime. On occasion, people may find themselves having to work overtime, and won’t be able to make it to the gym, so the product I designed will help make up for some lost time.
During the early stages of the design, I went through many shapes to try come up with something unique that both worked and balanced. I ended up with a pedal shaped design that would comfortably fit under the feet, but also featured a simple, streamlined look that would look great on the office desk when not in use.
One of the main issues evaluated for the step press included the weight. In order for the product to be portable it had to be fairly easy to carry, so I chose materials that would make it light weight. This meant that I had to sacrifice steel pedals for plastic; however, after testing various hand grips, I determined that plastic would have enough strength to withstand the force of a leg pressing down on it.
The finalised product will feature three core pieces, consisting of the pedal, base and torsion spring. Both pedals will be made from plastic that will be injection moulded to be attached to the torsion spring. The spring will be made from chrome plated steel. The last touch will be softex material, which is a durable alternative to rubber and cheaper to produce, which will be attached to the pedal and base to act as a grip, creating a satisfying product that will be sure to get the user pumped.
I like what you've done here man.. i think the idea is great, people that are keen on exercising can make efficient use of time in the office. One issue i see is that the step press can slip out when you apply pressure on the springs. I guess that might be part of the balancing force applied, but yeah.. might get rather annoying if it continually pops out. Awesome job man~
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew, nice design here with a new take on exercise in the office. I like how you've targeted muscles that tend to be neglected when in office environments your target markets are in. I noticed in your tech drawings that the metal spine doesn't go far into the pedal, i suggest it does simply because with such pressure the pedal could snap off. Other than that, great job.
ReplyDeletei like your design it is good shape and it is more convienient for catch big food and the color match is also nice
ReplyDeleteYour design looks great and i like your use of colour. I think that you could have improved your design by making the pedals slightly larger you would make it mode stable and the user would be less likley to slip of it and hurt them selves.
ReplyDeletei agree with other people's comments, it does look like that it can slip..
ReplyDeletedesign wise, i think it is pretty original..
but yet i wonder which muscles exersiced by this product?? and how does that muscle significant in normal daily life?
and i think the shape and colour can be reconsidered, because i wonder whether it will look like a very undesigner look when it's dirty after certain amount of usage..
whether it will encourage people to clean it or appreciate it rather than neclecting the object after a long period of time.. especially that it will be kept under the desk.