H.I.V.E. Kids Charging Dock and Robot
A device charger and companion robot that turns children’s charging downtime into time for play.
RecognitionFirst place, 2022 Canadian Tire Bluehive Industrial Design Competition
H.I.V.E. won first place in the 2022 Canadian Tire Bluehive Industrial Design Competition. Read the Humber Today article.
User Category
Current environment
- Kids thrive on constant stimulation and entertainment.
- Parents want to keep kids safe from harmful influences.
Demographics
- Ages 5 to 10
- Better coordination and fine motor skills
- Longer attention spans
- Developing physical and mental abilities
What makes it unique
- At the time of the competition, no device chargers were designed for children.
- Makes use of kids’ device downtime.
- Gives kids more independence and companionship.
- Introduces children to reward systems.
The Opportunity for Bluehive
- Device charging downtime is a large, unexploited niche.
- Similar product lifetimes and technologies to Bluehive’s existing products.
- Gets Bluehive a foot in the door, selling to every member of the active family.
Final Design
Specifications
- Sized to hold nearly all devices (shown with an iPhone 11)
- Wireless and USB charging
- Visible-light camera
- Button to wake or rest H.I.V.E.
- Dimensions: robot 4.5 in (11 cm), base 2.25 in (6 cm), width 6 in (15 cm)
Reflection
Before this project I had not worked closely with Charlotte, but we quickly found we shared a mindset: creative and fun-loving, yet grounded in design principles. The project did more than win the competition. It showed that the boldest, most playful ideas can also become the smartest, most effective solutions.
Designed by Thomas Ferreira and Charlotte Watkins