Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Here’s another one of those products that borrows an idea from somewhere else and uses it beautifully to absolutely transform a user’s experience (the previous one was the Puzlook iPhone case). Taking inspiration from all those products that use LEDs and our persistence of vision to create visuals, like the pixelstick, or those USB LED fans that tell the time, the Smart Rope by Tangram displays skipping stats as you jump.

Working almost magically, the LEDs laid out inside the rope light up almost magically exactly at your eye level so without having to look around, you can see the number of skips flash before your eyes every time, with live increments. The 23 LEDs laid out inside the rope bend along with the rope because of the patent-pending flexible PCB on the inside. Aside from numbers, the LEDs also display battery status on powering up and shutting down. The rope’s handles come in mirror-finish silver and gold or in matte black and feature ball-bearings for easy rope rotation. If you want to push your work-out further, the Smart Gym app for your phone as well as smartwatch allow you to track and monitor workout times while even letting you set your own workout goals based on your BMI.

This sort of design innovation isn’t just a novelty, but is even a psychological booster as it motivates you to skip more (and skip regularly too) just so that you can see those LEDs light up, almost like magic!

Designer: Deokhee Jeong (Tangram Factory)

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(Click here if you want to buy the Pixelstick)