FITNESS
SINTESI
THE DIGITAL GYM
An entire gym condensed into one machine,
combining hardware and software
CLIENT
AKUIS (fitness sector)
CHALLENGE
Develop an innovative product in the fitness field: a gym enclosed in a single machine and managed by software
SUCCESS
Partial or total redesign of all subsystems
Product functionality satisfied and costs minimized
Reliability and functionality problems of the initial prototype solved
01
THE TEAM AND THE IDEA
In 2018 the Italian startup AKUIS chose NablaWave to develop their flagship product: a robotic machine that promised to revolutionize fitness by bringing the gym into the digital age.
At the head of the startup are two young entrepreneurs, an architect and an engineer, both open-minded and full of enthusiasm for fitness and technology. We met the second, Alessandro, during our university years, on a project where young engineers built a well-equipped rocket for atmospheric studies — what a thrill that first launch was. Years later we found ourselves working side by side on an even more ambitious project.
The idea is not complicated, but it belongs to the category of disruptive ideas: the innovations that place a clear boundary between before and after. A gym has many machines, each designed for a specific exercise, generating a specific load along a specific direction. Ask yourself whether it is possible to condense an entire gym into a single machine capable of generating an infinite number of different loads — combining hardware and software intelligently, monitoring the workout in real time, telling you whether you are doing it correctly, keeping track of your improvement curve. SINTESI does all of that.
The machine is two tubes installed on a wall (vertical configuration) or on a platform (horizontal), depending on the workout. A wire from each tube transmits force to the user through handles, belts, a barbell and other tools.
The patented tube carries two electric motors that generate tension on the wire — force control. The interesting part is that the exit point of the wire is not fixed: it moves along the longitudinal slot of the tube. Thanks to the internal mechanics and the peculiar balance of forces on the wires, the machine also controls the wire direction — angle control. Combining the two, with the flexibility of electric motor control, gives an amazing result: SINTESI can simulate any type of load, from gravity weight to an oar in water, elastic, vibrating and eccentric loads. And in real time it yields an enormous amount of information on how the exercise is being performed. That is the magic of software.
02
INITIAL PROTOTYPE
At the beginning of development the prototype had functional reliability problems, imperfections, and very high production costs. The internal layout was well designed, though, and the subsystems were taking shape.
The most important problems were mechanical reliability — the cable often came out of its seat and jammed the mechanism — the control firmware, which did not guarantee proper operation of the motors in every scenario, and the interface app, which was substantially absent and is essential to giving the user that unique experience.
The biggest challenge was the intrinsic complexity of the machine, from the high interdependence of its subsystems.
03
FROM PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCT
Industrializing a prototype is an uphill road, the more so when the object is the first of its kind. From the start it was clear we needed an R&D team with skills from outside NablaWave. In the customer's network two high-level professionals were identified to follow the electronics and the engine firmware, while the mechanical-thermal subsystem was managed directly by us. AKUIS's CEO, with his engineering background, collaborated actively in every phase.
The effectiveness of the team rested not only on professional skill but on the climate of cooperation we were able to create. Intense brainstorming condensed into new solutions, never tested before, which today make a difference. In this way an AGILE development activity was structured: small effective steps, each concentrating effort on bringing home one new function or improvement as quickly as possible — demonstrating the feasibility of a solution rather than aiming at a perfect system first time.
Many solutions can be evaluated in a short time that way: concepts, virtual simulation environments (mechanical, thermal, electronic), targeted experimental tests, beta tester feedback. Those four were the base columns of SINTESI's development.
The overall performance of the product improved significantly, making the machine more interesting and more performant for the company's customers. That allowed AKUIS to go into production quickly, increasing the perceived quality of the product, reducing post-sales intervention costs and ultimately increasing revenue and profit margins.
Some parts were completely redesigned to solve functionality problems at the root, others modified to increase performance, and some components replaced with cheaper ones of comparable or superior performance. An intensive software development activity ran alongside the customer's firmware group.
04
RESULTS
Two years have passed since NablaWave joined the project. The product is ready, and debuted a few months ago with its first series.
After a careful analysis of the prototype and the selection of a team of specialists, continuous synergistic work between everyone involved — the customer included — led to the partial or total redesign of all subsystems. The goal was always to satisfy the functionality of the product while minimizing costs at the same time. That solved the main reliability and functionality problems of the initial prototype, with innovative solutions that preserve the entrepreneur's vision.
SINTESI is an adventure that continues to offer something new and unexpected every day, and keeps us hungry for new solutions to meet our customer's wishes.
