Soroban Colette چرتکه by Toshihiko Sakai

Soroban Colette چرتکه by Toshihiko Sakai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 جایزه برنزی A' Design Award in طراحی لوازم هنری و لوازم‌التحریر Competition Category.

برنزلوازم هنری· 2025

Soroban Colette چرتکه

by Toshihiko Sakai

Client: Asahi Printing Co., Ltd.

جایزه برنزی A' Design Award Winner in لوازم هنری Category

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Colors

The Design

About Soroban Colette چرتکه

پیش از این، چرتکه دارای گوشه‌های مربعی بود، اما اکنون با طراحی ملایم‌تر و گوشه‌های گرد بازطراحی شده است تا کودکان بتوانند بدون نگرانی از ایجاد آسیب، از آن استفاده کنند. این طراحی بدون استفاده از پیچ، میخ یا چسب ساخته شده و محصولی امن برای کودکان خردسال است. با ارائه رنگ‌های متنوعی که کودکان دوست دارند، گزینه‌ها گسترش یافته است. همچنین، تعداد قطعات ۴۰ درصد کاهش یافته که باعث ساده‌تر و کارآمدتر شدن فرآیند تولید شده است.

The Recognition

About the جایزه برنزی A' Design Award

Soroban Colette چرتکه برنده جایزه برنزی A' Design Award است، شناختی بسیار معتبر که به طراحی‌های برجسته‌ای اعطا می‌شود که با خلاقیت، نبوغ و زیرکی متمایز می‌شوند. برندگان برنز مصنوعاتی بسیار ماهرانه و چشمگیر خلاق‌اند که تجربه گسترده، تخیل و ابتکار طراحان خود را تأیید می‌کنند. از Soroban Colette چرتکه انتظار می‌رود شیئی بسیار ارجمند، ستوده و دوست‌داشتنی باشد که به‌طور چشمگیری حرفه‌ای و نوآورانه است. این طراحی برنده جایزه برنزی A' Design Award بهترین رویه‌ها را در هنر، علم، طراحی و فناوری در خود جمع می‌کند و به سبب توجه به جزئیات برجسته است. Soroban Colette چرتکه نیازها را زیبا برآورده می‌کند، به خواسته‌ها دست می‌زند، احساسات را مجذوب می‌سازد و کنجکاوی را برمی‌انگیزد.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Previously, the abacus had square corners, but it has been reborn to gentler design having rounded corners so that children can use it without worrying about damaging something with the item. The design does not use screws, nails, or adhesive, making it a highly safe product for younger children. By having a variety of colors that children like, the options have expanded. Additionally, the number of parts has been reduced by 40%, making manufacturing simpler and more efficient.
Dimensions & Packaging: "Traditional abacuses were mostly 23 digits, but this product has 20 digits, making it ideal for beginners. As a result, it is now A4-sized and can be stored neatly in a school bag.

The main body is made of resin, which is stably supplied, and the weight as well as the size are similar to those of conventional products.

Number of digits: 20
Material: main body from recycled polycarbonate, beads from polystyrene
Package: paper box with a cover case
Weight: 158g
Length 60mm x width 283mm x height 17mm"
Tags: pop, colette, eco, 20 digit, colorful
Production Technology: Traditionally, abacuses were made from hard, heavy wood such as boxwood, which are endangered species and hard to obtain. Over 60% of the product weight is of upcycled materials. By integrally molding the beam and shaft parts like a fishbone, we succeeded in reducing the number of parts by more than 30% compared to conventional products. With all the efforts combined, we have established manufacturing that does not rely too much on individual craftmen.
Design Challenge: A modern arrangement has been added without disrupting the traditional use of the abacus. Additionally, since it will be used by children, we aimed for a safe design with no angular corners and no screws or nails. The most time-consuming task was to come up with a frame structure that integrated the beam and shaft in order to reduce man-hours. In terms of materials, from a sustainability perspective, we had to maintain enough strength while using recycled resin, which was a challenge.
Research: The traditional manufacturing of abacuses is a cottage industry, involving nearly 200 steps, each of which is highly specialized, requiring a large number of workers to manufacture one abacus.

Due to the decrease in successors, the production volume has dropped to about 150,000 per year, about one-twentieth from the peak of 3 million abacuses, making it difficult for abacus schools to secure the necessary quantities.

In addition, the raw material ebony is dependent on imports, and domestic boxwood is rated as endangered on the Fukuoka Prefecture Red List, making it depleted and in need of protection.
Inspiration: The abacus was introduced to Japan as calculator 450 years ago, and is popular even today as a traditional skill learning and brain training for children. However, as the design variations are limited because it is made of wood and traditional manufacturing process, children are currently unable to choose one that suits their preference. Manufacturing sites are facing problems such as aging of craftsmen, lack of successors, and less materials, and this shows the possibility that traditional abacus education will be reduced due to the shortage of abacuses, “sorobans” in Japanese. It is also required that newly developed products are eco-friendly.
Project Duration: The project was started in January, 2021, and was completed in April, 2024, It took 3 years for us to reserch and realize an ideal product.
Operation Flow: An abacus is designed to make it easy to understand the decimal system, with each column representing one digit. The thing that runs horizontally and divides the bead into one and four parts is called a beam. The beads at the top of it are called 5-beads, and correspond to five beads at the bottom. Use your thumb to move a 1-bead, and your index finger to move the rest. With this small abacus, users can add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Patents: Patent applied
Patent application 2023-176919
Team Members: Toshihiko Sakai
Image Credits: N/A