Design of a 3D training equipment : Development of a new exercise equipment to prevent injuries among sedentary workers

Abstract: Low-intensity and sedentary work have become more common in work life the last decades. More and more people get health problems as stress, lack of well-being and decreased work performances. Neck, shoulders, and arms are the most affected areas because of low activity for a longer time. Sedentary workers are often aware of that they should be more active, but there is often a lack of motivation.  A personal trainer gave a request to encourage more people to do 3D training. The area was discussed and resulted in that this master thesis will focus on designing a product that will encourage sedentary workers to use 3D training to prevent injuries. 3D training is a training form where you do exercises in three planes. Daily activities require movements in three planes. In 3D training the body works as one unit, if the arm is in movement, the feet should be affected to move as well. The body wants to naturally spread out the forces it is affected of, that is the main focus in 3D training. If a person is sedentary for a longer time, the body will get rigid and have more difficult to spread out the forces. The personal trainer uses the training form together with his customers, who thinks it is fun and give fast results. The personal trainer has been a contact person and a reference person in this master thesis. My role as an industrial design engineer is to take the needs from the sedentary workers and the stakeholders when designing a product. The aim was a concept that should be delivered in a full-size prototype and CAD renderings. The aim of this project was to motivate sedentary workers to change their behavior by using the final concept. The research questions in this project were as followed How does the theory of 3D training relate to practice? What are the user needs for a product that encourage 3D training? When and where is the most appropriate context for a product that encourages sedentary workers to use 3D training? How should a product that encourages 3D training be designed to motivate sedentary workers to use it? The project has been conducted using a design process with four steps together with agile elements, which means that to find the best solution for the users, they should be involved in the process. This was conducted through two deliveries of concept/concepts during the process where the users could give feedback. Through different design methods in the right stage of the process, a direction has been found towards the final solution, which has led to a solution that fulfills the objectives and aims.  The solution that I have come up with is a color stick that changes the color of light depending on in what directions it is held. This product should be used in the office and facilitate learning 3D training exercises through an application. It instructs exercises by letting the user go from a start color to an end color. It can be used without connection to an application, but if it is connected, a timer can be set when the stick is going to light up and remember the sedentary worker to move. In the application a number of exercises can be stored so the person can put up goals to reach. The light stick will not be expensive wich is an advantage to motivate the user to buy one. This product can motivate sedentary workers to be more active which can reduce levels of injuries and sick leave. A full-scale functional prototype was created and gave a good understanding of the function of the concept.  In the beginning, the project was comprehensive within 3D training, but after each phase, the direction towards the best solution became clearer and clearer. This project can show that good results can be achieved as an industrial design engineer if a design process is used in the right way with appropriate methods.