The Idea
Like any muscle, the muscles of the face and around the eyes respond to training against resistance. The client came to Projects House with an idea for a small home device that makes that training measurable: the user squeezes the arms closed against resistance, the device measures the range of motion of every repetition, and the data streams to a companion app where progress is tracked over time.
The Engineering Solution
The mechanical heart of the device is an adjustable spring mechanism. The spring sits between two guides, one of which rides on an internal thread — turning the central screw compresses or releases the spring, letting the user dial in the resistance level. Getting spring behavior right is a discipline of its own in mechanical engineering, and here it had to happen inside an envelope of less than four inches. Internal rubber elements cushion the return stroke and prevent the arms from clacking against the body — a small detail you feel immediately in the hand.
The Electronics
Motion is measured by contact strips that the arm closes across as it travels — each contact level represents a different range of motion. A tiny wireless microcontroller transmits the data to the app, and a small rechargeable battery powers everything. Power management is strict: the device wakes on touch and puts itself to sleep after a few seconds of inactivity, so a small battery lasts through weeks of daily workouts. This kind of sensing-plus-connectivity architecture is core to modern electronics development.
Design Work
The renderings on this page show several finish alternatives for the exact same product — an industrial design step that helps a client commit to a product identity before tooling, alongside the appearance-versus-functional distinction we apply in prototyping. In the app, every repetition is logged with its range of motion and displayed as a progress graph — turning a routine exercise into a measurable game.
Have a connected product idea of your own? Contact Projects House and let's take it from concept to shelf.
Photos from the project
