Duotone Mag 2024

Thinking ahead into the future of Kitesurfing. Duotone is constantly striving to prove its technological leadership and is always working on innovative concepts. This time: the electrification of the Click Bar. It is still a concept study. “Sometimes the best ideas arise, while brushing your teeth”. Antonio Destino, Head of R&D Duotone, grins. On a test trip a few years ago, he stood in the bathroom in the evening and let his mind wander: My electric toothbrush has a rotating mechanism, an oscillating motor, is fully encapsulated, can charge inductively – and has a similar diameter to ou r Click Bar. So what if our Click Bar could also be operated electrically? Ingenious idea. But of course a kite bar has to perform a completely different function than just setting a brush head in motion: It has to power and depower absolutely reliably with the necessary force. A first prototype was tested on the water in 2022 – by the product developer, who was absolutely skeptical about this development. Well, what’s to say: he was thrilled. The development continued. There are many challenges to overcome: What do the mechanics look like? Does the power transmission work? Can the electric motor and battery be perfectly sealed? Can electrification be realized without adding significant weight to the bar? And, and, and. What is the current status, Toni? Will we see the electric Click Bar from Duotone? “Our philosophy is very simple: in our D/LAB products we explore what is technologically feasible in our sports. This is the only way to drive development and thus the whole sport forward. We try to realize innovations in all areas in series production whenever possible. This special pilot project is just an idea to push the boundaries towards possible future E-concepts. Maybe we will realize this project, maybe it will only remain a dream.” Photo Toby Bromwich Copy  Bernd Zerelles Project future: Electrification of the Click Bar D U O T O N E D U O T O N E 102 103 W H Y C O N C E P T S T U D Y