Message from Adam: The RheoFit Story
Dear friends,
Hello, I'm Adam, the founder of RheoFit. Today I'm excited to share the story of RheoFit - a journey driven by passion, innovation, and a commitment to creating true value for every user.
A lifelong passion for robotics and sports
From a young age, I was passionate about two things: robotics and sports. In high school, I spent countless hours in the robotics lab, exploring new design ideas with my teammates. At the same time, I was an avid athlete, running laps on the track and feeling a surge of energy after each workout. After running 15 laps, I felt energized and ready to take on life’s challenges.
One day I met Dr. Wang, the CEO of Texas Instruments. Despite being almost 50, he was incredibly energetic. I later learned that he ran nearly ten marathons every year, and he believed that this helped him keep both his body and mind sharp. Inspired by him, I decided to run my first half marathon.
The path to RheoFit
While training, I faced a challenge: how to relieve muscle soreness after running. Friends had suggested that I try massage guns and foam rollers, but these tools often required extra effort that I simply didn't have after a long run. Worse, in order to work my quads, hips, and back, I had to use these tools in awkward positions, which meant that some muscles were barely worked and others were even more fatigued. The most frustrating thing was that I didn't know which areas to massage, how long to massage, or how intensely.
A spark of inspiration
One day, while lying in bed, I thought, “Why not create a product that solves this problem?” I had been working in robotics for years and realized that by combining my knowledge with artificial intelligence, I could create an automated device that would help relax my muscles. Thus, the concept of the RheoFit A1 was born.
The dream takes off
Together with my robotics team, we started developing a prototype and testing it with runners in the park.
Shortly after, I joined the Shenzhen Innovation Academy and received angel investment from Professor Li Jieshiang, co-founder of DJI, one of the world’s leading drone companies. This marked the official start of our entrepreneurial journey.
Innovation beyond the possible
Creating the RheoFit A1 wasn’t without its challenges. Almost every component had to be custom-designed, from collaborating with Apple’s motor suppliers to developing the interchangeable massage covers. We constantly tweaked and refined the design to ensure ease of use and comfort. More importantly, we integrated our proprietary RheoAI technology, which models the user’s body based on weight distribution and provides personalized massage recommendations.
Overcoming obstacles head-on
Mass-producing a hardware product proved to be even more challenging than we imagined. From quality control to logistics and building our direct-to-consumer (DTC) team, every step required our utmost efforts. Fortunately, within two months of launch, we had sold nearly 3,000 units in the European and American markets, proving that our hard work had paid off.
The journey ahead
However, the challenges of mass producing a hardware product continue to exceed our expectations. How can we guarantee the highest quality of each unit? How can we deliver products to our customers safely and promptly? How can we create a DTC team that will ensure seamless communication with our users? These questions remain, and the entire RheoFit team is still working non-stop — working from dawn to midnight at the factory, driving over 200 kilometers every day to meet new partners, discussing new solutions until late, and even using weekends to learn from industry veterans.
Through it all, the most important aspect of our work remains: listening to our real users. These users are not just our supporters, but also co-creators who help us improve RheoFit, and they are the reason we strive to innovate and overcome these challenges.
Infinite body, infinite life
While the challenges are many, at RheoFit we are driven by one belief: innovation can unlock human potential. Our brand philosophy, “Limitless Body, Limitless Life,” reflects this belief. We strive to empower everyone to easily enjoy professional-level muscle recovery, opening up a limitless spectrum of possibilities for their lives.
Thank you to every friend who supported and trusted RheoFit. Your every feedback drives us forward. We hope you will join us in building a healthier and freer future for the world.