Press Release
Cynthia Chen Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Tenniix AI Tennis Robot in Sporting Goods, Fitness and Recreation Equipment Design
Cynthia Chen of Tenniix recognized for sporting goods, fitness and recreation equipment design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Sporting Goods, Fitness and Recreation Equipment Design category for Tenniix AI Tennis Robot by Cynthia Chen of Tenniix. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Tenniix AI Tennis Robot
Tenniix is an artificial intelligence tennis robot designed to act as a training partner. A dual vision system tracks the player position and the ball trajectory in real time. Tenniix moves autonomously to return shots and to create continuous rallies. Training pace and modes are selected by voice commands or through an application. Use is simple: the folding panel is opened, the balls are loaded, and practice begins. The robot measures 392 by 271 by 448 millimetres. The aim is to make advanced training accessible to players of all levels.
About Cynthia Chen
We are Tenniix, focused on smart sports and tennis training, dedicated to transforming traditional training through AI technology. We matter because we solve key challenges in tennis training — such as the lack of consistent practice partners and low training efficiency — by delivering a more personalized and effective training experience. Our key achievements include the successful launch of the Tenniix AI tennis robot and outstanding crowdfunding performance in Japan, ranking No.1 in the sports category on Makuake and gaining recognition from leading media. These results highlight our strengths in AI algorithms, product design, and user experience.
About Tenniix
Tenniix was developed by Enhanced Robotics, focused on innovation in robotics and artificial intelligence. With years of expertise in AI vision and engineering, Enhanced Sports has collaborated with over 500 elite teams and professional athletes worldwide
Award Record
This recognition makes Cynthia Chen of Tenniix a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Sporting Goods, Fitness and Recreation Equipment Design Award
The A' Sporting Goods Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good sports equipment designs by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to sporting goods designers, fitness equipment designers, recreation equipment designers and industrial designers from all countries. Entries typically include basketballs, tennis rackets, yoga mats, running shoes, dumbbells and bicycles. Awarded sports equipment designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/sporting-goods
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/180414
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/180414
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!180414
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/378919
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://tenniix.ai/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Tenniix AI Tennis Robot
- Function
- AI Tennis Robot
- Category
- Sporting Goods, Fitness and Recreation Equipment Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Sports
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Gray, Black and Light Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Cynthia Chen
- Country
- Hong Kong (China)
- Brand
- Tenniix
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #180414
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Tenniix is an AI-powered tennis robot that combines artificial intelligence, voice control, and advanced robotics to act as an intelligent training partner. With a dual-vision AI system, it tracks player position and ball trajectory in real time, moves autonomously for realistic rallies, and delivers personalized, game-like training through continuous AI learning.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Tenniix emerged from extensive experience in robotics engineering and AI vision, combined with close collaboration with professional athletes and elite teams. Observing the gap between high-level training technology and everyday practice, the project was driven by the goal of translating advanced AI, motion tracking, and data-driven analysis into an intelligent, accessible training partner for tennis players at all levels.
- Research
- Type of Research: Applied design and user-centered research. Research Objectives: To create an intelligent tennis training partner that improves realism and accessibility. Methodology: Iterative prototyping combined with field testing. Data Collection and Tools: Motion tracking, AI vision data, usage logs, and user feedback. Participants/Experiments: Professional athletes, coaches, and amateur players. Results: Improved training continuity and realism. Insights and Impacts: The research bridges elite technology and everyday training, influencing sports product design and scalable business applications.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was balancing advanced AI and robotics with simplicity and reliability for everyday users. Internally, the team needed to translate professional training standards into an intuitive experience. Externally, constraints such as hardware durability, production scalability, cost control, and real-time AI performance required continuous optimization. Overcoming these factors demanded close integration of design, engineering, and real-world testing.
- Realization and Technology
- Tenniix was realized through an integrated process combining mechanical engineering, embedded systems, and AI software development. The product utilizes precision-molded structural components, durable lightweight materials, and a modular hardware architecture. A dual-vision AI system, onboard processors, and motion control algorithms were developed through iterative prototyping and real-world testing, ensuring reliable performance, accurate tracking, and scalable production readiness.
- Operation and Interaction
- Tenniix is intuitive and easy to use. Users simply open the folding panel, load the tennis balls, and begin training. The device automatically follows the player’s position and returns shots intelligently to create continuous rallies. Training pace and modes can be adjusted via voice commands or the app, without the need for complex setup.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was officially initiated in October 2024 in Hong Kong, completed in September 2025 in Shenzhen, and subsequently exhibited at the CES exhibition in Las Vegas in January 2026.
- Keywords
- Tenniix, AI tennis robot, AI ball machine, tennis training, smart sports, solo tennis, tennis practice, sports technology, intelligent training, tennis innovation
