A tool for working out Yamaha-style - Design

Workout Tool Design
2022

Overview

What makes a truly captivating tool?

In this thought experiment-style design project, designers from Yamaha and Yamaha Motor collaborated on a common theme. The theme we chose was everyday workout tools.
At first glance, such objects appear to have nothing at all to do with musical instruments or mobility devices. However, when viewed as tools that enable you to use your body and movements to create experiences, the common essence of the three comes into focus. With musical instruments, the player uses their body to produce music. With mobility devices, the user operates the device to produce the experience of movement. Workout tools similarly engage the body to shape experiences.
Designers from both Yamahas explored new possibilities based on this theory. The project was set in the USA, where working out is an integral part of daily life rather than a special activity, and it is not uncommon to see exercise equipment in people’s homes.
We posed two questions: What would happen if we reinterpreted these familiar tools based on the philosophy of creating Kando shared by both Yamahas? Could we create workout tools that were also fun to use and quietly captivating?
Musical instruments and mobility devices offer users the joy of total control, the fun of improving, and experiences that quickly become immersive. In this project, we brought that value into the realm of working out to explore the potential for new experiences. We combined design perspectives cultivated in different domains in an effort to bring new appeal to the act of bodily movement, an ambitious endeavor that the two Yamahas were uniquely equipped to undertake.

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.

Works

THE HOLDER

The part the palm of the hand wraps around is made of a wooden material shaped with soft curved surfaces to gently follow the shape of the palm. And the part where the fingertips support the dumbbells with delicate control is made of a hard metal material. Providing relaxation in the palm of the hand and tension at the fingertips at the same time aims to encourage a good balance of relaxation and stress, necessary for a workout and to maximize strength.
The combination of these two materials, tailored to fit the parts of the human hand, creates a dynamic form that fits the user’s body nicely like a violin’s beautifully taut body or a rider seat.
Inside the dumbbell is a module with an accelerometer and a communication chip that detects and records the user's daily workout movements, time, etc., and sends the information to a pre-defined device such as a smartphone app.

Designer: YAMAHA MOTOR DESIGN

THE GRIPPER

This is a unique hand grip in which each finger part is independent. The palm side, which serves as the fulcrum to support the grip, is made of softly sculpted wood, while the fingertip parts are made of cold metal. The fingertip side has a mechanism that allows each finger to be operated independently, like a trumpet. This gives the feeling of delicate manipulation with each finger, increasing the tension at the fingertips. It is a tool that simultaneously gives the user the combination of relaxation and stress needed for a workout and the expectation of maximum performance.
The length of each pipe of the grip can be tuned one by one according to the size of the user's fingers.

Designer: Kazuya Washio/Yamaha Design Laboratory

THE EXTENDER

This is a new muscle training device inspired by the hydraulic arm bar. It can be used for 2-way training, mainly across the broad back muscles, arms and shoulders.
The first way is to grip both ends of the upper part with your hands and hold the wooden part of the base with your feet while pulling up with your entire upper body, just like a rowing machine. This allows the user to train the broad back muscles. The cylindrical part in the center is a hydraulic damper, and the load can be changed by adjusting the dial below it.

Designer: Etsuto Mimasu / YAMAHA MOTOR DESIGN

Process

We aimed to provide functional tools for working out, and also to create appealing experiences out of the time spent using them. Like musical instruments and mobility devices, the tools must not only perform well, but also make the user look cool and be items they want to reach for again and again. We refined our ideas with the goal of balancing functionality and sensory value, all the while focusing on the aesthetics and appearance in the different scenarios where they might be used.