Athletes who seek to continuously improve their performance rely on high-quality equipment and effective coaching to stay ahead of the competition. As smart sports technology advances and becomes more prevalent in training facilities, users increasingly expect more from these products, including advanced features, detailed data, and customization options. The Perfect Toss tennis trainer concept was conceived after the Perfect Toss team identified a gap in the tennis training market. Eager to build a well-rounded training regimen but seeing that no automated machines included the full range of training tosses, they set out to provide players with the ultimate tennis training technology. In search of a next-generation prototype, their team reached out to Design Central to engineer and prototype a device that would meet the requirements of a fully integrated trainer.
The Perfect Toss team's desire for a full range of training tosses is derived from the principle that to improve a swing, one must be able to focus on the same toss repetitively, allowing them to concentrate on their actions and observe how each technique adjustment impacts the outcome. The Perfect Toss tennis trainer would enable players to practice all types of tosses repeatedly, including cross-court launches, a simulated coach's hand toss, and a consistent serve toss. However, combining all training tosses into a single device while maintaining a compact design for practical travel and storage posed significant engineering challenges. Our team worked to find a solution that would allow for both a powerful 70 mph cross-court launch and a vertical toss, and everything in between, thereby achieving the ultimate training regimen.
The solution involved a careful evaluation of internal feeding mechanisms. Departing from the norm, our engineers recognized that the traditional ball loading would not launch the ball at the desired angle in a soft enough manner to mimic a hand toss. Instead, we built a mechanism to load the ball from the side, allowing the ball to shoot vertically. Furthermore, the details regarding angle, speed, spin, and rate of feed provided by the Perfect Toss team were invaluable, helping us establish clear goals and constraints. This complexity necessitated the careful selection of components and design of subsystems, including a singulator with hopper, feed system, and launcher with angle control capabilities. The bill of material for the Perfect Toss prototype includes over 120 fabricated and sourced components. The entire system comprises four types of motors to adjust the launch angle and feed a tennis ball through, along with electronics that power and control the toss variables to a high level of precision. The fabricated frame, shell, and component mounts of the prototype are designed to be durable and have easy access for assembly and diagnostics during testing. We also collaborated with Perfect Toss to ensure the prototype was compatible with their app development.
The patent-pending Perfect Toss tennis trainer prototype also features an interchangeable battery, a collapsible handle for enhanced mobility, and a simple, intuitive interface. Upon achieving an omni-toss design, including serve tosses, and adding these additional features, Design Central better positioned the Perfect Toss team for ongoing success by conducting a limited prototype run to introduce the trainer to their target market. The tennis trainer prototype was developed for testing at high schools, tennis clubs, and other coaching venues. The Perfect Toss team will utilize these high-fidelity prototypes to gauge market interest around this advanced training concept. In all, our team created a robust platform for consumer testing and business model development.