Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik by Eric Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Гвоздена награда A' Design Award in Дизајн дигиталних и електронских уређаја Competition Category.

ГвозденаПотрошачка електроника· 2025

Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik

by Eric Wu

Client: EW Design

Гвоздена награда A' Design Award Winner in Потрошачка електроника Category

40,651

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #167221

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik

Cobble je Bluetooth zvučnik za policu sa interaktivnim interfejsom na gornjoj površini. Četiri magnetna klina mogu se postaviti u različite obrasce na mreži. Kada se zadati obrazac završi, zvučnik pušta sačuvani zvučni profil, poput zvukova prirode ili petlje belog šuma. Cobble takođe funkcioniše kao standardni Bluetooth zvučnik za reprodukciju zvuka sa povezanog uređaja. Postavljanje klinova podseća na drevnu igru Go i poziva na kratak trenutak tihe koncentracije. Prototip koristi kućište od drveta, panele od peskarisanog akrila i LED svetlosne trake.

The Recognition

About the Гвоздена награда A' Design Award

Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik је добитник Гвоздене награде A' Design Award, престижног признања које се додељује добрим дизајнима који испуњавају професионалне и индустријске захтеве очекиване од добро осмишљених творевина. Добитници Гвоздене награде показују велико умеће, високу специјализацију, стручно разумевање и креативне способности својих твораца. Очекује се да Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik буде високо цењена, дивљена и вољена творевина која је практична и иновативна. Овај дизајн награђен Гвозденом наградом A' Design Award уграђује најбоље праксе индустрије и има компетентна техничка својства повезана са знањем и талентом. Захваљујући темељности, Cobble Bluetooth zvučnik заслужује поштовање и осмишљен је да пружи побољшања квалитета живота која помажу да свет буде бољи.

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