Makarlu

Pilates and Physiotherapy treatment plays an important role in helping individuals recover from and prevent injuries. However, the therapy is dependent on the use of complex and cumbersome training aids that can only be used in a studio environment. When there is an appropriate training aid for the home or while travelling, it typically focuses on a single exercise and with an unappealing aesthetic. Often the aid is left in the cupboard and forgotten about. With a disconnect between the training aids used in and out of the studio, it is difficult to ensure patients are completing their exercises correctly.

The Makarlu Lotus is the perfect balance between a versatile studio tool and portable rehabilitation aid. In a studio environment the Makarlu compliments the use of standard studio equipment, yet is also compact and lightweight for use outside the studio. The use of one device across both environments ensures the patient and practitioner are confident that the exercises are being performed correctly. Created for movement, Makarlu’s three nesting domes and convex timber base, have been thoughtfully designed to accommodate a wide range of individual needs through the combination of different sizes, varied surface textures and ability to adjust the firmness.

Through the design process Ingenuity Product Design helped Body Organics to focus their extensive Physiotherapy knowledge into a rehabilitation aid that allows the ‘in- studio’ experience to extend into the user’s daily life. The Makarlu Lotus has enabled Body Organics to move beyond providing the best care for its patients and is now providing training in Australia and internationally to help practitioners provide the best experience possible for their clients. The Makarlu has been at the core to this business growth and is now shipped internationally to more than 190 countries.

With more than 20 different configurations that provide users with a wide range of heights, textures, movement and firmness, Makarlu can be configured to suit a wide range of exercises and rehabilitation plans. The magnetic inserts in the Lotus domes help stabilise the product on the base plate and give the Makarlu the ability to work in both the horizontal and vertical plane, attached to a fridge or other metal surface. Makarlu is an attractive centre-piece that can be displayed in a modern home, office or studio when not in use. Body Organics’ aim was to connect users with nature in addition to treating their health and wellbeing. The product draws inspiration from the Lotus flower, starting from a hard-smooth seed on the inside to a soft blooming flower on the outside. A core theme throughout the development was to ensure minimal environmental impact. To achieve this the nesting lotus domes have been created from hard-wearing recyclable TPE, and the base is made from locally sourced Spotted Gum sealed with a nontoxic and food safe wax, creating a long lasting and low impact product. The product is manufactured in Queensland to further reduce the product’s carbon footprint through minimising logistics.