Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth by Eric Wu

Ferro Elettronica di Consumo · 2025

Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth

by Eric Wu

A' Design Award di Ferro 2025 in Elettronica di Consumo
CLIENT: EW Design
Estimated Number of Design Views: 40,651
Verification code F71A3B134D · Verify this award

View at A' Design Award Press Release

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About Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth

Cobble è un altoparlante Bluetooth da libreria con un'interfaccia interattiva sulla superficie superiore. Quattro perni magnetici possono essere disposti secondo schemi diversi su una griglia. Quando si completa uno schema preimpostato, l'altoparlante riproduce un profilo sonoro salvato, come un loop di suoni della natura o di rumore bianco. Cobble funziona anche come un normale altoparlante Bluetooth per l'audio proveniente da un dispositivo collegato. La disposizione dei perni richiama il gioco da tavolo Go e invita a un breve momento di silenziosa concentrazione. Il prototipo impiega un involucro in legno, pannelli in acrilico sabbiato e strisce luminose a LED.

About the A' Design Award di Ferro

Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth ha vinto l'A' Design Award di Ferro, un riconoscimento prestigioso conferito a buoni design che soddisfano i requisiti professionali e industriali attesi da creazioni ben progettate. I vincitori di Ferro dimostrano la grande abilità, l'elevata specializzazione, la comprensione esperta e la capacità creativa dei loro creatori. Ci si aspetta che Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth sia una creazione molto apprezzata, ammirata e amata, pratica e innovativa. Questo design vincitore dell'A' Design Award di Ferro integra le migliori pratiche del settore e ha caratteristiche tecniche competenti legate a know-how e talento. Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth è rispettato per la sua accuratezza ed è progettato per offrire miglioramenti della qualità della vita che aiutano a rendere il mondo un posto migliore.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: Cobble is a speaker with an interactive interface at the top. The user has access to 4 pegs that they can place in various patterns. When preset patterns connect, the speaker plays a saved tone. The speaker is made with the concept of "inadvertent mindfulness." Studies have found that the simple action of concentrating on one's actions offer moments of respite. By placing pegs, much like how one places stones in a Go game, the user enjoys a moment of peace.
Dimensions & Packaging: 7 1/2" (width) * 7 5/16" (depth) * 2" (height)
Tags: Speaker, Office, Mindfulness, Audio, Music
Production Technology: The prototype was constructed with a wooden casing with a four-panel construction. Sand-blasted acrylic panels are used to diffuse the lighting from LED light strips. The prototype control panel was made from an Arduino nano and will be replaced with more efficient chips in mass production. We experimented with various sensing methods and settled on magnetic sensing with Hall effect sensors as they appeared to be the most reliable.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was figuring out the sweet spot of a big enough surface area and a compact enough footprint, the product being a shelf speaker after all. People wanted to engage with the interface but too much of it offered diminishing returns and research participants had more complaints of space constraints.
Research: User research was conducted in collaboration with co-working spaces. We tested hypotheses like the following:
- How much spacing and how big do people prefer the pegs to be
- How many rows and columns work the best, offering novelty and comfort without overloading the user
- What footprint works the best without sacrificing too much room for interaction
Inspiration: The design originated in a desire to question the prevalence of active mindfulness practices today. We have meditation apps, mindfulness sessions offered by corporations, and many more. While mindfulness is great, there are alternative activities that humans go to for similar purposes, without bearing the label of "mindfulness." Go, the Asian board game using stones, was a primary inspiration. What if we could have something built in that stimulates a sense of mindfulness, just like Go?
Project Duration: Duration: 6 months
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Operation Flow: The product behaves like a normal bluetooth speaker, so the user can connect to it with an end device and play whatever they want.

The unique interaction is that it can save and activate various sound profiles, which can be activated via placement of the magnetic pegs. The user would have to download a mobile app to change the default profiles, which are nature and white noise sound loops.
Image Credits: Photos: Eric Wu