Birdy Isipika by Leijing Zhou and Xin An

Birdy Isipika by Leijing Zhou and Xin An is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award in Imikhiqizo Yomsindo Competition Category.

InsimbiImikhiqizo Yomsindo· 2023

Birdy Isipika

by Leijing Zhou and Xin An

Client: Zhejiang University

Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award Winner in Imikhiqizo Yomsindo Category

16,701
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #149441

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Birdy Isipika

Umbhalo Wencwadi: I-Birdy iyisipika enodondolo lokulawula olunesimo senyoni oluvumela ukuthi ukudlalwa komculo kulawulwe ngesandla. Ingxenye engaphansi iyisipika esinesimo sekhoni esinama-driver amabili angu-5W kanye ne-amplifier ye-class D enezingxenye ezimbili. Inzwa ye-joystick esesihlokweni sekhoni ibona ukunyakaza kwesithombe senyoni kuzo zombili izindlela. Ukunikinisa isithombe senyoni phambili noma emuva kulungisa ivolumu, kanti ukusinikinisa kwesobunxele noma kwesokudla kukhetha ingoma engaphambili noma elandelayo. I-Birdy iphinde isebenze njengesisizi sasekhaya esihlakaniphile esiphendula imisindo yezinyoni. Umklamo uhlose ukudala uxhumano lwemvelo nolunemizwa phakathi kwabantu nobuchwepheshe.

The Recognition

About the Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award

Birdy Isipika iwinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award, ukwaziswa okuhloniphekile okunikezwa imiklamo emihle ehlangabezana nezidingo zobungcweti nezemboni ezilindelekile ezimpahleni ezihlelwe kahle. Abawinile beNsimbi babonisa ikhono elikhulu, ubungcweti obuphezulu, ukuqonda kochwepheshe namandla okudala abadali babo. Birdy Isipika ilindeleke ukuba ibe yinto exatshwa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo esebenzayo nenezinto ezintsha. Lo mklamo owinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award uhlanganisa izindlela ezinhle kakhulu zemboni futhi unezimfanelo zobuchwepheshe ezifanelekile ezihlanganiswe nolwazi nethalente. Birdy Isipika iyahlonishwa ngenxa yokucophelela kwayo futhi ihlelelwe ukulethela izinguquko zomgangatho wempilo ezisiza ukwenza umhlaba ube yindawo engcono.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Birdy provides a more engaging way to control music playback. With its bird-shaped game stick, users can interact with their music in a unique and interesting way, making the experience feel more natural and intuitive. Designed to emulate the experience of touching and interacting with a live creature, Birdy provides a refreshing departure from traditional, lifeless speakers.
Dimensions & Packaging: The full height of the product is 316mm. The bottom cone speaker is 250mm high and the maximum diameter is 142mm.
Tags: Speaker, Emotional design, Bird, Bionics, Natural
Production Technology: The speaker features two 5W drivers with a dual-channel class D amplifier. On the top of the cone is a joystick sensor that detects the movement of the bird above it in both XY axes, thus controlling the music playback.
Design Challenge: The biggest challenge of the design is how to give an emotional connection to a technological artifact. We were inspired by the interaction between humans and birds, where birds have a natural connection to music. This led us to design Birdy, a speaker that offers a more natural and intuitive way to interact with technology, bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds.
Research: People communicate emotionally with their pets and we have studied various interactions between people and their pets and found that we were inspired by the interaction between humans and bird pets, where on the one hand birds have a natural connection to music and on the other hand their physical interaction between human and birds can be extracted as a way to control the music.
Inspiration: The design of Birdy is inspired by the way bird breeders often stroke and interact with their pets. The bird is located at the top and the bottom is a conical speaker. It is designed to foster emotional connections between users and the device, creating a more natural and seamless user experience.
Project Duration: The project started in March 2021 in Qingdao and finished in September 2022 in Ningbo.
Operation Flow: Users can control their music playback by swinging the bird-shaped game stick at the top, similar to a joystick. Swinging the bird backward or forward adjusts the volume, while swinging it left or right skips to the previous or next song. Additionally, Birdy is also a smart home assistant that responds to different bird calls.
Team Members: Leijing Zhou
Xin An
Image Credits: Xin An