Reactable
Reactable is a unique musical instrument that bridges the gap between the digital and tangible experience of music creation, using cubes with pre-assigned functions to manipulate sound and create music. I was commissioned to redesign the housing for the instrument which can be found everywhere from children’s museums & hotel lobbies to the live concerts of Björk and Coldplay.
Year: 2013
Credits:
Manufacturing Partner: FUHTAH
Mechanical Engineering: Alexandro Majcan
Project Manager: Carlos Morales
Design
Inspired by iconic and intuitive products that bridge the gap between users of all ages, I worked on developing inviting shapes that were simple enough to be easily manufactured, but compelling enough to stand alone.
The final design is derived from the transition between the circular top and undulating bottom. The shape creates natural recessed areas, which in turn form a protected space for headphone jacks, where the user is less likely to brush up against them.
Manufacturing
For the manufacturing process I worked with Fuhtah, a Barcelona-based fiberglass manufacturer. The final structure is created with 4 fiber glass panels, making the product durable and lightweight and by using fewer parts it allows for an easier transportation and quicker assembly. Each panel has a steel frame that allows the parts to be easily screwed to each other and mounted onto the bottom frame. The screen is then simply inlaid onto the frame and can be easily removed to access the electronic components inside.
