Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker by Eric Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award yn Izer in Digitaal en Elektroanysk Apparaat Ûntwerp Competition Category.

IzerKonsuminteelektroanika· 2025

Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker

by Eric Wu

Client: EW Design

A' Design Award yn Izer Winner in Konsuminteelektroanika Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker

Cobble is in Bluetooth-boekekastlûdsprekker mei in ynteraktive ynterface op it boppeflak. Fjouwer magnetyske pinnen kinne yn ferskillende patroanen op in roaster pleatst wurde. As in foarynsteld patroan folslein makke is, spilet de lûdsprekker in bewarre lûdsprofyl ôf, lykas in natuerlûd of in white noise-loop. Cobble wurket ek as in gewoane Bluetooth-lûdsprekker foar audio fan in ferbûn apparaat. It pleatsen fan de pinnen docht tinken oan it boerdspul Go en noeget út ta in koart momint fan stille konsintraasje. It prototype makket gebrûk fan in houten behuzing, sânstrielde akrylpanielen en LED-ljochtstripen.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Izer

Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Izer, in prestisjeuze erkenning foar goede ûntwerpen dy't foldogge oan de profesjonele en yndustriële easken dy't ferwachte wurde fan goed ûntwurpen skeppings. Izerwinners litte grutte feardigens, hege spesjalisaasje, deskundich begryp en kreatyf fermogen fan har makkers sjen. Fan Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierbere skepping is dy't praktysk en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Izer yntegrearret de bêste praktiken fan de sektor en hat feardige technyske skaaimerken ferbûn mei kennis en talint. Cobble Bluetooth-lûdsprekker wurdt respektearre foar syn yngeandens en is ûntwurpen om ferbetteringen fan de kwaliteit fan it libben te leverjen dy't helpe de wrâld ta in bettere plak te meitsjen.

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