Tobias Reichert

Industrial Design, 2018

Competitive tennis costs parents over $5,000 annually, hindering lower class players from entry. Of the expenses to compete, 30% comes from racquets and restringing. During play, tennis strings loosen and are considered “dead”. These loose strings then get cut out and replaced with new strings, an expensive upkeep charge. If loose strings could instead be tuned like a guitar, players could save up to $1,000 a year. With the AXUL racquet, players are equipped to tune string tension on the racquet, extending the life of “dead” strings while reviving quality of play. Tension sensors are integrated as well, allowing players to know precisely how their racquet is tuned without being intrusive to the current system for restringing.

From a young age, Tobias Reichert was inspired by his designer father to think outside the box and solve problems creatively. Having transitioned from Engineering to Industrial Design, he values framing solutions around mechanics and manufacturing, but he is most driven to ideate on new systematic approaches to solve wicked problems. Moving forward, he is excited to use the tools learned at Ohio State to make a difference in the world.

View more of his work at here