Hulumao Diamond Bed Cat Toy by Shih-Chang Hsiao & Yu-luen Huang

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DESIGN DETAILS

DESIGN NAME:
Hulumao Diamond Bed

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Cat Toy

INSPIRATION:
This project was inspired by observing the behavior of cats towards playing with a recycled cardboard box. Using eco friendly material is a great idea for making fun toys for cats. The first idea came to designer minds were cat house or bed. The cat owners can participate in building their own cat houses for their cats to sleep in and play with.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Diamond Bed is a multi-purpose cat bed with scratcher. The curved bowl shape like a nest provides comfortable space for the cats to rest, play and feel secure. The scratcher is located in the center of the interior for the cats to exercise their paws. The scratcher can be replaced when needed. It takes only a few minutes to assemble the product. This product also comes with a flattened package design for easy shipping.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
Diamond Bed can be assembled with only a few steps. While assembling the product, the owners of the cat are able to have the joy of taking ownership of constructing Diamond Bed for their cats. Many cat owners also observe the phenomenon that while Diamond Bed is being assembled, their cats tend to be curiously staying around through the whole assembly process. The structure is strong and solid due to the double-layered hard corrugated cardboard that provides sufficient strength against the paws of cat. The open space is ideal for cats of any size.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
The project started in October 2016 and finished in January 2017 for final production in Taiwan.

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
To ensure the right proportion and structure of the design as well as working efficiency Diamond Bed was started from small scale models and then turned into full scale model. It is made from hard corrugated cardboard and formed by many triangle shapes. The cardboard can only be folded in straight lines to form shapes. This characteristic limitation of the hard corrugated cardboard dictates a geometric form. The 3D structure was created by using design software to make the job possible in terms of efficiency and precision.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
Width 560 mm x Depth 560 mm x Height 175 mm, 1.9kg, Corrugated Cardboard

TAGS:
hulumao ,diamond bed ,cat bed ,corrugated paper ,le cheer ,cat house, pet

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:
In order to have a better understanding of the cat behavior, research on the web and visits with friends who have cats for observation was necessary. The conclusion is that cats love cardboard boxes. In the wild, cats like to hide in caves or tiny spaces because these places provide a sense of protection for them from their predators. Cats like cardboard boxes for the same reason. They provide the protection that cats like. Cardboard has the property to keep heat, maintain warmth and provide a comfortable surface texture for cats.

CHALLENGE:
The cardboard product made for cats is not a new idea. However, most cardboard products on the market nowadays are cube boxes like, or focused on the surface decorations rather than the structure of the form itself. The importance of the structure can make a big difference for this project to be different from any other preexisting products. The cat toy can be an important piece of display in people’s living area. Le Cheer likes Diamond Bed to be able to accommodate the esthetic of the environment it is in or stand out as an interesting structure in the living space. The challenge of this project is to find a good balance between the material and the structure of the form for production. The structure made of hard corrugated cardboard can be weak if not properly designed. Each plane surface of the cardboard has to have the capacity to support the whole entire structure. Ex., What is the best way to assemble the flat 2D cardboard into a 3D form? How much can the material take the weight of the cat? What kind of minimal structure of the cat bed gives the best support and comfort to the cat? The product with a great structural design not only strengthens the object for easy assembling, but also enables the capability for mass production.

ADDED DATE:
2016-09-29 07:49:29

TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
Yu-Luen Huang

IMAGE CREDITS:
Shih-Chang Hsiao

PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS:
Copyright of Le Cheer Co., Ltd.

Visit the following page to learn more: http://www.lecheer.com.tw

CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS

NAME:
Le Cheer

PROFILE:
Le Cheer is located in Taipei, Taiwan and founded by Shih-Chang Hsiao, as a professional industrial designer for years. The goal of Le Cheer is to produce the well design lifestyle products for people enjoying using them. The products created by Le Cheer are mostly developing with four fundamentals, practical functionality, ease of use, aesthetic in style and moderate price.

AWARD DETAILS
	Hulumao Diamond Bed Cat Toy by Shih-Chang Hsiao & Yu-Luen Huang is Winner in Pet Supplies and Products for Animals Design Category, 2016 - 2017. · Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Shih-Chang Hsiao & Yu-luen Huang. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Shih-Chang Hsiao & Yu-luen Huang.