Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth by Eric Wu

Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth by Eric Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award di Ferru in Elettronica di Cunsumu Competition Category.

FerruElettronica di Cunsumu· 2025

Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth

by Eric Wu

Client: EW Design

A' Design Award di Ferru Winner in Elettronica di Cunsumu Category

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Colors

The Design

About Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth

Cobble hè un altoparlante Bluetooth da scaffale cù una interfaccia interattiva nantu à a superficia superiore. Quattru chjodi magnetichi ponu esse posizionati in diversi mudelli nantu à una grata. Quandu un mudellu prestabilitu hè cumpletu, l'altoparlante sona un prufilu sonoru salvatu, cum'è un ciclu di rumore naturale o di rumore biancu. Cobble funziona ancu cum'è un altoparlante Bluetooth normale per l'audio da un apparechju cunnessu. U pusizionamentu di i chjodi ricorda u ghjocu di tavulinu Go è invita à un cortu mumentu di cuncentrazione tranquilla. U prototipu usa un guscio in legnu, panelli in acrilicu sabbiatu è strisce luminose LED.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award di Ferru

Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth hè un vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award di Ferru, una ricunniscenza prestigiosa attribuita à i boni disegni chì rispondenu à i requisiti prufessiunali è industriali aspettati da creazioni ben cuncipite. I vincitori di Ferru dimustranu una grande abilità, una alta specializazione, una cumpresa esperta è a capacità creativa di i so creatori. Si aspetta chì Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth sia una creazione assai apprezzata, ammirata è cara chì hè pratica è innuvatrice. Stu disegnu vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award di Ferru integra e migliori pratiche di u settore è hà caratteristiche tecniche cumpetenti ligate à u sapè fà è à u talentu. Cobble Altoparlante Bluetooth hè rispettatu per a so meticulosità è hè cuncipitu per furnisce miglioramenti di a qualità di a vita chì aiutanu à fà di u mondu un locu megliu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

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.
Team Members: Eric Wu
Image Credits: Photos: Eric Wu