How we designed: PROCHARGE Tremor

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How we designed: PROCHARGE Tremor, the most powerful vibration roller ever developed

When we set out to develop our vibration range, we wanted to make it worthwhile. We wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before, something so innovative that athletes across Europe would find the benefits of using it immediately. Over the course of 12 months, we designed, iterated, prototyped and commissioned the production of the strongest vibrating roller ever developed. This is how we done it.

In signature PROTEC style, we placed simplicity at the top of our agenda. Creating something that could be used by athletes of all levels required collective thinking from our design team, product engineers and software developers. We iterated on numerous elements using the ‘first principles’ approach, whereby we broke the technology down into three main areas. The hardware casing, the motor, and the computer board that dictates the entire product experience.

Contrary to the design and development of PROBOOTS, we started the design totally from scratch. A blank sheet of paper. We took inspiration from other recovery technologies, standard foam rollers, our PROGUN Series, current marketing offerings.

We designed state of the art circuit boards that included modern design elements, allowing us to programme the device in new and innovative ways. One of these is our variable speed, which rotates the intensity levels of Tremor through our four standard intensities for a unique and relaxing massage experience.

Various materials and new technologies were tried and tested. We approached three different foam elements to create the exterior of the roller itself. Some were too hard, some were too soft and crushed under the weight of our athletes when undergoing product testing. Eventually, we fell on ethylene-vinyl acetate, a unique blend of softness, rigidity and flexibility that meant when a user rolls on any part of their bodies, the foam adapts and conforms to their body. For example, when rolling on your back on a hard floor surface, the pressure on your spine is much less when compared to similar rollers that uses expanded polyethylene, a harder and more harsh foam material.

Another huge advantage to using our blend of EVA material on the exterior is the durability it offers in comparison to EPP found in other foam rollers. Irrespective of where you roll or recover, the EVA will hold up and conform back into its original shape. The tensile strength of EVA far exceeds that of EPP by as much as several orders of magnitude, whilst compressive strength and elongation offer further advantages that we deemed to be necessary when designed Tremor.

We added new, innovative features such as the latest Bluetooth 5.0 protocols to ensure that Tremor was the ideal rolling solution for the modern athlete. We knew that in the future, we’d have to continue our iteration process and future­-proof our devices in a way that market-leaders and innovators would be expected to.

When building a product with multiple elements, it’s important to manage the individual design process of each element as one larger product. Tremor was no different. There were three main areas that we identified where the product was susceptible to not meeting our requirements; weight distribution, power and noise.

We completely redesigned the circuit boards half way through development to include a regulator that would ensure the current of electricity through each intensity was exactly as required to power the proprietary motor without producing extreme levels of noise. Over a four week period, we were able to adapt Tremor in ways that exceeded expectations and allowed us to keep the noise below 60dB from 60cm away.

As the worlds most powerful vibration roller, this breakthrough signalled a leap forward in current technology and led us right through to the end of the design and development process.

Many months of design. Weeks of preparation and iteration. And one day where it all came together. We had developed Tremor, the most powerful vibration foam roller ever.

Learn more about PROCHARGE Tremor here.