Ridemaster – Motorcycle Communication
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MyTrak - Smart Fitness Monitor
Award-winning wearable fitness monitor acquired by Curves®
An Inside Glimpse Into the Product Development of MyTrak's Slimcoach™
Background & Design Requirements
The client came to Design 1st wanting to transform the concept of a detachable clip-based wearable activity tracker with visual cues into a high-volume manufacturable product.
- Provide visual cues to user on real-time activity.
- Durable, detachable attachment mechanism for tracker
- Slim design profile with three discrete buttons
- Sensors to track movement and heart rate
Design and Engineering Challenges
Implementing Design 1st’s proven process, the team was able to overcome several obstacles to balance the design requirements with long-lasting performance.
- Testing of multiple plastics and features to achieve a durable clip that can be easily detached from device
- Battery selection to achieve 16-hour life, with size that would be meet the required slim profile design
- Selection of annular light pipe to spread beams evenly for real-time visual interaction during fitness activity
Product Testing: Issue Found
During pre-production prototype testing the material of the poly-carbonate material chosen for the detachable clip began creating problems and failing.
- Users testing the device found it was difficult to detach due to friction, resulting in some devices breaking.
- But by adding a lubricating compound called Lubriloyy™ to the plastic, the clip attachment worked smoothly
- A small low-volume production run and user test confirmed the additive lubricant fixed the issue
Product Results and Client Success
MyTrak transformed a concept idea into one of the world’s first mass-consumer fitness trackers on the market leading to an acquistion by Curves®
- Following acquistion by Curves®, the SlimCoach was featured on the Biggest Loser® TV series
- MyTrak successfully scaled volume production to hundreds of thousands of units with minimal issues
- Successfully acquisition and transfer manufacturing files and setup to Curves®
Moving from concept to industry-leading fitness tracker and acquisition by Curves® in five years
“The Design 1st team’s ability to diagnosis, solve and execute on multiple design challenges throughout the product development was the key to the Slimcoach’s success in the marketplace”
Reed Hanoun
CEO and Founder, MyTrak Inc.
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