Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah by Eric Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award in Naqshadeynta Qalabka Dhijitaalka iyo Elektaroonigga Competition Category.

BirElektaroonig Isticmaalaha· 2025

Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah

by Eric Wu

Client: EW Design

Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award Winner in Elektaroonig Isticmaalaha Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah

Qoraalka Buugga: Cobble waa gacan-ku-hayn (bookshelf speaker) Bluetooth ah oo leh dhinac-hoosaad wax-la-falis ah oo ku yaal dusha sare. Afar musmaar oo birlab ah ayaa lagu dhigi karaa qaabab kala duwan oo dul-saaran shabag (grid). Marka qaab horay loo qorsheeyay la dhammeeyo, gacan-ku-haynta ayaa ciyaarta muusig kaydsan, sida dabeecad-dhawaaqeed ama qaylo cad oo wareegsan. Cobble sidoo kale wuxuu u shaqeeyaa sida gacan-ku-hayn caadi ah oo Bluetooth ah oo maraysa qalab ku xiran. Dhigidda musmaarrada waxay xasuusinaysaa ciyaarta guud ee loo yaqaan Go, waxayna ku dhiiri gelinaysaa daqiiqad gaaban oo aamusnaan iyo diirad. Naqshadda tijaabada ah waxay isticmaashaa daabac alwaax ah, looxyo acrylic ah oo ciid lagu dhuftay, iyo xariiqyo iftiin LED ah.

The Recognition

About the Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award

Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah waa guuleystaha Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award, aqoonsi sharaf leh oo la siiyo naqshado wanaagsan oo buuxiya shuruudaha xirfadeed iyo kuwa warshadeed ee laga filayo hal-abuurro si wanaagsan loo naqshadeeyay. Guuleystayaasha Birta waxay muujiyaan xirfad weyn, takhasus sare, fahan khabiir iyo awood hal-abuur oo abuurayaashooda. Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah waa hal-abuur la filayo inuu noqdo mid aad loo tixgeliyo, la ixtiraamo oo la jecel yahay, wax ku ool ah oo cusub. Naqshadahan ku guuleystay Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award wuxuu isku daraa hab-dhaqannada ugu wanaagsan warshadda wuxuuna leeyahay sifooyin farsamo oo karti leh oo ku xiran aqoon iyo hibo. Dhammaystirkeeda awgeed, Cobble Ku Hadal Bluetooth ah waa mudan ixtiraam, waxaana loo naqshadeeyay inay keento hagaajin nololeed oo ka caawisa in adduunka laga dhigo meel ka wanaagsan.

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