Press Release
Neuro X Focus Training Toy by Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen honored for toys, games and hobby products design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Neuro X Focus Training Toy by Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen, designed for Central Academy of Fine Arts, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 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.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Neuro X Focus Training Toy
Neuro X is a focus training toy for children aged five and over. The kit contains four N-blocks and one headband. The headband collects brainwave signals in a non-invasive way and sends them to the blocks through a wireless connection. Each block adjusts its internal electromagnets, so ferrofluid held in a water-based solution changes shape and rhythm. Stronger focus creates more dynamic and intricate forms. Blocks can be swapped to explore different difficulty levels. All parts are made from safe materials and are securely sealed.
About Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen
Wang Yuchen is a researcher and practitioner in the field of transportation design, mainly focusing on transportation and industrial design. He has participated in multiple design projects and international exhibitions. Based on the platform of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, he has made practical and theoretical contributions in the fields of ship design, intelligent car cockpit design, and intelligent product design from a unique perspective. In the future, he will continue to promote the combination of research and practice, interdisciplinary creative methods, and contribute his own strength to the field of industrial design.
Award Record
This recognition makes Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2024 - 2025 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award
The A' Toy Design Award is an international toy design competition recognizing good toy designs by best toy designers, manufacturers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to toy designers, game studios, industrial designers and hobby product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include dolls, action figures, board games, puzzles, plush toys and educational toys. Awarded toy designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/toy
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/164993
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164993
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164993
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/356888
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Neuro X Focus Training Toy
- Function
- Focus Training Toy
- Category
- Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Kids
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Light Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Silver and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Central Academy of Fine Arts
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Liu Qinyang and Wang Yuchen
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164993
Credits
- Team
- Liu Qinyang, Wang Yuchen and Wang Xuanzheng
- Image Credits
- Creator Wang Yuchen, Neuro X, 2024.; Creator Liu Qinyang, Neuro X, 2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Children naturally face challenges with attention control during development, but criticism can harm their confidence. Studies show that unconscious focus during play and exploration supports prefrontal cortex development. We aim to use play as a tool to aid this growth. The attention-training toy employs a commercial tgam module to capture eeg signals, using them to control ferrofluid's shapes and rhythms, enabling "thought-driven interaction." This merges physiological signals with physical materials, blending art and technology to create a unique experience that fosters sustainable attention development.
- Inspiration
- Ferrofluid is an interactive and safe material that, under the control of an electromagnet matrix, can create diverse shapes and movements. It captured my younger sister's curiosity, as she perceived it as a living creature she could interact with. Therefore, I aim to create a unique narrative connection between humans and the material, enhancing this interaction to meet the emotional needs of children during their growth process.
- Research
- The goal of this project is to provide an entertaining and educational attention training toy for school-aged children. Through expert and user interviews, the design integrates neuroscience and educational science, taking into account brain development needs and children's emotional needs to create a child-friendly design. After conducting market and technology research, feasibility and financial analyses were carried out. The final design won two international awards and two domestic Chinese awards, receiving endorsements from experts and recognition within the industry.
- Challenge
- The challenge lies in reducing costs, making it affordable for more families.
- Realization and Technology
- Technically, we have made this a reality. The headband includes a commercial tgam module that non-invasively collects eeg signals. The n blocks receive the collected signals via bluetooth, adjusting the internal electromagnetic strength to activate and reshape the ferrofluid immersed in a water-based solution. The ferrofluid supports diy at home and can be made using edible oil and iron powder. All toy components are made from safe materials and are securely sealed.
- Operation and Interaction
- Step 1: Put on the medi-headband, place the n-blocks on a flat surface, and power on both devices. Step 2: Focus your attention while the medi-headband collects the data. Step 3: The n-blocks process the brainwave data, causing the ferrofluid moves with signal strength. Greater focus creates more dynamic and intricate shapes. Step 4: Swap out the n-blocks to explore different levels of difficulty.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was launched in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in April 2023 and completed in Beijing in August 2024. It won the second prize at the Beijing division of the China international university innovation competition in 2023 and was awarded the European product design award, IDA bronze, and the China design award in 2024.
- Specifications
- Product Dimensions: N-blocks: Width 180 mm x Depth 180 mm x Height 60 mm, medi-headband: Width 210mm x Depth 240mm x Height 45mm Recommended Age: 5 and over Recommended number of players: 1 Kit includes: 4 N-blocks, 1 medi-headband
- Keywords
- Focus Training Toy, Child-Friendly Design, Edutainment, EEG, Art and Technology
