Gladecat

What it does

You can see that our design contains the needs of almost all people and cats indoors. Each module has different meanings, and the pattern is humorously designed on the cover plate on the back. Users can use it harmoniously and get along

Your inspiration

Our design is inspired by Tetris and irregular wind-etched holes. Among them, Tetris is the most suitable for our original intention, to achieve flexibility, spatial matching diversity, and the dynavity of users' self-diy, and in the combination of Tetris three-dimensionality, we can also realize the cat climbing frame we want to do. In the process of shuttle play between modules, each module can be used as a functional area for human use.

How it works

Like "living Tetris", it is composed of a total of six core modules with 1 T-shape, 2 L-shapes and 3 parametric Tyson polygons. Through the precision-designed embedded magnetic interface and card slot system, they can be flexibly and firmly spliced and combined in multiple directions, and easily adapt to various corners of the home - whether it is flat The face against the wall, the L-shaped corner, the entrance of the porch or next to the TV cabinet can all be perfectly integrated. The installation and disassembly of the cover plate is the core of the function conversion: through the built-in high-strength N52 neodymium magnet, the cover plate can be instantly adsorbed or removed. Install the cover plate and switch to the "cat mode" - the cover plate surrounds private tunnels and caves for cats to explore and rest. The smooth magnetic surface can also adsorb various cat toys like refrigerator stickers to add interaction;

Design process

At first, we made this work with a variety of complex shapes, but we found that there were many problems in the actual use of finished products, and our products should be more practical. Then we began to consider a more regular modular way, which made it more convenient for the company's operation in production and transportation. The original point of our work was that all modules can be stitched into a large square, which can solve the problem of long-distance transportation. In the design of a module, at first, we only adopted a different Tetris box as the concept, but found that this was too unaesthetic. Then we did a patterned cover design on the main module, and with the different combination of modules, the overall pattern will have different cat postures, which directly improving the overall aesthetics and humor. For special modules, we collide with the irregular and empty design to collide with the main modules of the rules, which produces an overall visual impact, and also has practical

How it is different

Different from the traditional, single-function cat climbing frame or bulky custom cat cabinet, the core breakthrough of this modular human-pet symbiosis cat villa climbing cabinet is that it completely blurs the boundary between "pet exclusive" and "human furniture", and realizes the instantaneous, two-way and elegant transformation of space and function. Most products on the market are either a playground for cats (taking up space and difficult to integrate into the home), or hiding the cat nest in furniture (sacrificing cat experience or human convenience), and this design truly realizes the zero-compromise second-level switch between the same physical space between "cat's private paradise" and "people's practical furniture/leisure platform" through the two core technologies of "magnetic cover switching" and "module folding". This not only solves the pain point of space utilization

Future plans

Our design modular human-pet symbiosis system is not the end, but opens a new paradigm of shared living space for humans and cats in the future. Our vision is to develop it into a platform that can evolve, be smarter, and deeply integrated into the home ecosystem. In the next step, we will focus on the upgrading of materials and intelligence: explore environmentally friendly materials that are lighter, more sustainable (such as bamboo composites, recycled plastics) and even have self-cleaning/antimicrobial coatings to reduce environmental footprint and improve durability; At the same time, low-power sensors (pressure, exercise)

Awards

Industrial Design Innovation Competition of Shanghai Graphic Literature Society --1st prize for the team，1st Prize for Individuals