Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝 by Yumeng Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 鐵獎 in 玩具、遊戲及消閒產品設計 Competition Category.

鐵玩具· 2024

Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝

by Yumeng Li

Client: Pear and Mulberry

A' Design Award 鐵獎 Winner in 玩具 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #158221

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The Design

About Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝

Meta Zen是一套為成人而設的冥想遊戲組合，並可共創室內裝飾。產品以極簡形態呈現，結合廣受認同的禪意美學與參數化設計，模組可完成動態沙紋圖案，由三件式桌面擺設以至整面立面裝飾，數分鐘內即可營造禪意氛圍。模組化面板內嵌磁石，便於精確對齊組裝，對視障人士、長者及手震用家均十分友善。此專利模組系統典雅而質感豐富，以完全可生物降解材料製成，呈現天然有機色彩。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鐵獎

Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝是 A' Design Award 鐵獎得主，這是授予滿足人們對設計精良的創作所期待的專業與工業要求的優良設計的聲望認可。鐵獎得主展現出其創作者的高超技藝、高度專業化、專家級的理解力和創造能力。預計Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的創作，既實用又創新。這件贏得 A' Design Award 鐵獎的設計整合了行業最佳實踐，並擁有與專業知識和才華相結合的稱職技術特性。Meta Zen 觸感冥想玩具套裝因其嚴謹而受到尊重，旨在提供有助於讓世界變得更美好的生活品質改善。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Meta.Zen is a poetic playset for adults and transformable interior decor designed for community spaces or temporary settings.

Minimalism in forms, the modules complete the dynamic sand pattern organically at any scale and complexity, from a three-piece table object to a whole facade decoration, deploying a Zen atmosphere in minutes.

Modular panels embed magnets to ease precise alignment efforts in building, which is friendly to visually impaired people, elders, and users with hand tremors.
Dimensions & Packaging: Product Dimensions: Width 640 mm x Depth 380 mm x Height 105 mm /
Recommended Age: 5+ Recommended number of players: 1-4 /
Kit includes:
323 * MetaZen Modules,
1 * Pavilions,
4 * Trees,
2 * Lanterns,
1 * Stacked stones.
Tags: decorative, magnetic, puzzle, zen, zen garden, configurable modules, mental therapy, haptic
Production Technology: All modules are reconfigurable to eliminate any redundant purchases for building differently to improve sustainability. All mass-producible parts are made from fully biodegradable PLA. Only natural fibers including bamboo and algae are added to tune natural color and texture.
The patented ridges and valleys geometrically express zen with a hygienic and handy setup forming ever-changing puzzle patterns that improve accessibility and replayability.
Design Challenge: The core challenge was serving two audiences: offering a non-screen anxiety relief for individuals in quarantine and ensuring hotels, even as temporary isolation spaces, offering humane care through natural visuals and a universal zen cultural experience.

Another critical difficulty was ensuring the project allowed for easy reconfiguration by subsequent users over time, with potential future use as a playset for group activities and as an indoor installation adaptable to various scenarios.
Research: Research shows tactile activities reduce quarantine anxiety, digital fatigue, and physical interaction scarcity. Employing widely recognized Zen aesthetics and computational tools, we crafted a modular system based on Taoist principles. With just three angles, it enables infinite Zen landscapes, combining geometric innovation and tactile inclusivity. This approach facilitates easy, unique Zen space creation for meditation, requiring no sand or expertise, prioritizing ease and hygiene.
Inspiration: Zen, is globally acknowledged for cultivating inner peace through performing activities.

Artistic forms follow the aesthetic principles of Zen including simplicity; subtly profound grace, and tranquility.

Aligned with Daoism, one single base module demonstrates a sense of flow; the assembled mysterious patterns reflect the worldview of Buddhism.

It conveys the wisdom of simplexity: Identical base modules can be rearranged into millions of combinations, forming the system in play that manifests wabi-sabi both aesthetically and functionally.
Project Duration: Launched in December 2021 and completed in July 2022, this project was initially developed during the pandemic for adults living in collective quarantine settings. It aimed to reduce the anxiety of remote working individuals.
This project won European Product Design Award, and International Design Awards in 2022, and was selected as finalists in Product and User Experience categories of iF Design Award in 2023. It was featured on Yanko Design in January and Puxiang Design in February 2023.
Operation Flow: Zen Culture: Facilitates self-meditation and stress relief for adults, promoting inner balance through playful interaction.

Inclusive: Features guided magnetic assembly and tactile patterns, offering a multisensory, accessible experience.

Community & Sustainability: This art form's flexibility encourages communal creativity and sustainable decor changes, supporting social meditation and Wabi-Sabi appreciation. Its durable design allows for versatile display, embodying both reusability and aesthetic adaptability.
Patents: Patented. 63/404,074. PEAR & MULBERRY. 2022. USPTO.
Copyrights belong to Yumeng Li.