Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth by Eric Wu

Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth by Eric Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award in Àpẹẹrẹ Ẹ̀rọ Oníbàárà Ẹlẹ́kítíróníìkì Competition Category.

IrinẸ̀rọ Oníbàárà Ẹlẹ́kítíróníìkì· 2025

Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth

by Eric Wu

Client: EW Design

Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award Winner in Ẹ̀rọ Oníbàárà Ẹlẹ́kítíróníìkì Category

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The Design

About Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth

Cobble jẹ́ agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth tí a máa ń gbé sórí seluṣi tí ó ní ojú-iṣẹ́ ìbáraẹnisọ̀rọ̀ lórí ilẹ̀ òkè rẹ̀. Ẹ̀ka mẹ́rin tí ó ní agbára oofa ni a lè gbé sí àwọn àpẹẹrẹ ọ̀tọ̀ọ̀tọ̀ lórí àwòrán akéte kan. Nígbà tí àpẹẹrẹ tí a ti pèsè sílẹ̀ bá parí, agbohunsafẹfẹ náà á ṣe àyẹ̀wò ìró tí a ti fi pamọ́, bí i ariwo ẹ̀dá tàbí ìró funfun tí ń tẹ̀síwájú lọ. Cobble tún ń ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth déédéé fún ohun àṣàrò láti orí ẹ̀rọ tí a ti so pọ̀. Bí a ṣe ń gbé àwọn ẹ̀ka wọ̀nyí sí ipò rẹ̀ ń rán ni létí eré-ìdárayá Go, ó sì ń pè fún ìṣẹ́jú díẹ̀ ti ìdákẹ́jẹ́ẹ́ àti ìfọ̀kànbalẹ̀. Àwòṣe àkọ́kọ́ yìí lo ìgò igi, àwọn pánẹ́ẹ̀lì acrylic tí a fi iyanrìn dán, àti àwọn ọ̀nà ìmọ́lẹ̀ LED.

The Recognition

About the Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award

Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth jẹ́ olùborí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award, ìdánimọ̀ olókìkí tí a fún àwọn àwòṣe tó dára tí wọ́n pàdé àwọn ohun tí iṣẹ́ àti ilé-iṣẹ́ nílò tí a retí láti ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn ẹ̀dá tí a ṣàwòṣe dáradára. Àwọn olùborí Irin ń fi ìjáfáfá ńlá, ìmọ̀ pàtó gíga, òye ògbóǹtarìgì àti agbára ìṣẹ̀dá àwọn olùṣẹ̀dá wọn hàn. A retí pé Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth yóò jẹ́ ẹ̀dá tí a kà sí gidigidi, tí a gbóríyìn fún tí a sì nífẹ̀ẹ́, tó wúlò tó sì ní ìmúṣẹ̀dá tuntun. Àwòṣe tó borí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award yìí ń kó àwọn ọ̀nà tó dára jùlọ ilé-iṣẹ́ jọ, ó sì ní àwọn ànímọ́ ìmọ̀-ẹ̀rọ tó péye tí a so mọ́ ìmọ̀ ṣíṣe àti ẹ̀bùn. A bọ̀wọ̀ fún Cobble Agbohunsafẹfẹ Bluetooth nítorí ìfọ̀kànbalẹ̀ rẹ̀, a sì ṣàwòṣe rẹ̀ láti pèsè ìmúdára ìgbésí ayé tó ń ran ayé lọ́wọ́ láti di ibi tó dára jù.

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