PRODUCT DESIGN, Mechanical engineering, Prototyping

 
 

Intro

Liberate Air
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As part of our ongoing collaboration with House of Marley, MINIMAL created true wireless earbuds from sustainable materials, including bamboo, recycled silicone, and fabric. A category first for the brand, the project embraced their continuing efforts to develop superior lifestyle products from sustainable materials while maintaining a strong focus on ergonomics, design, and optimal sound. Designed for active lifestyles with water and sweat resistant materials, Liberate Air is the perfect companion on a hike or long bike ride by the beach.

Co-founded by Bob Marley's son, Rohan Marley, House of Marley is the first audio brand to craft products that include sustainable materials and contribute to global reforestation. Their mission is to create a better world through a shared love of music, a commitment to giving back to our communities, and creating earth-friendly, socially responsible products.

 
 
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DESIGN

SMALL PACKAGE, BIG SOUND

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The MINIMAL design and engineering teams focused on balancing comfort and compactness without compromising aesthetics given a dense internal stack up. Our extensive experience designing headphones and a thorough ergonomic study ensured a successful design.

The teams refined multiple rounds of prototypes to establish the best possible fit and ergonomics on a wide range of ears. The result is a refined, ergonomically sound design that highlights the brand's use of bamboo, one of the most renewable materials on the planet.

MINIMAL collaborated closely with House of Marley throughout development, and remained engaged in through the DFM process, helping to solve manufacturing challenges and advise on design-related issues.

 
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Features

FEEL the Music
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Liberate Air’s unique bamboo faceplate uses capacitive touch controls, allowing users to play, pause, change music, take calls, and more. In keeping with the House of Marley philosophy, Liberate Air is built for adventure, the earbuds are water resistant, have a 9-hour play time and a durable travel case with an additional 32 hours of charge.

The travel case maintains a pocketable size and highlights House of Marley's commitment to the use of sustainable materials. It features a top cover wrapped in REWIND™ fabric and a silicone REGRIND™ base with a leather center stripe that leads to a metal magnetic front latch. Inside the case, the earbuds are presented on a bamboo plate, echoing the bamboo faceplate on the earbuds. Magnets hold the earbuds in place as they begin to charge automatically.