FLUITAPE
2023
reddot award 2023
winner
by a studio
This is a cassette tape player, inspired by observing the movement of tape as it plays from one reel to another.
This slow flow evokes the image of sand slowly trickling through an hourglass.
It highlights the tactile sense of time flowing with the music, evoking memories of experiencing music physically through the popular medium of cassette tapes.
Sources of inspiration
This cassette player is inspired by the flow of magnetic tape between reels during playback, reminiscent of the slow trickle of sand in an hourglass.
Designed to highlight this tactile sense of time flowing with music, it evokes memories of physical music experiences through the popular medium of cassettes.
Flow+Tape=FLUITAPE
To make the experience of using the hourglass cassette player more realistic, we replaced the play and rewind buttons with a gravity sensor.
When the player is upright on the table, the tape plays. When flipped, the tape rewinds. When the hourglass symbol is laid flat on the table, the tape stops playing.
How to use
1.Insert the cassette tape into the player.
2.Place the player in an upright position to start playing music.
3.To rewind or stop the music, flip the player.
4.When the player is placed horizontally, the music stops playing.
Product structure
Through this hourglass-shaped window, you can see the black tape inside the cassette flowing from one reel to another.
To make it easier to observe the movement of the tape within the "hourglass," we've added a small lighting feature.
This illumination enhances visibility, allowing users to clearly see the progression of the tape as it moves. The light subtly highlights the flow, emphasizing the metaphor of time passing as the tape unwinds, thus creating an immersive experience that visually complements the audio.
