THE AVIATOR
A kinetic speaker that stages the flight of music through motion.
- Year
- 2025
- Field
- Physical
- Format
- Solo · design · mechanism · circuit/control
- Archive
- P / 03
- Status
- Completed
The Aviator is a kinetic speaker system that combines two speaker drivers with metal wings and hinges. As the wings unfold and the drivers turn toward the listener before playback, it extends listening into a visible sequence of movement and display.
Conventional speakers begin their experience only when sound is playing. The Aviator treats the preparation before playback as part of the product experience. Two 3-inch full-range drivers and a Bluetooth amplifier module sit at the center, while metal wings connected by actuators, springs, hinges, and bearings unfold around them. When powered on, the folded structure opens gradually and turns the drivers toward the listener; the aluminum wings and stand, 24 bearings, and mechanical stops define the range and stability of that movement. 3D-printed parts and a switch bracket were refined, and the working prototype was recorded while possible collision at full actuator release remained a separate structural issue to review.
01The form departs before sound begins.
When powered on, the folded wings unfold slowly and turn the two drivers toward the listener. This short transition before playback becomes both the takeoff cue for music and the first scene that asks the viewer to look.
02Wings and hinges shape the listening direction.
Actuators, springs, 24 bearings, and hinges define how far the metal wings can unfold. Instead of hiding the mechanism behind an outer shell, the visible structure lets form and operation be read in the same scene.
03The rendered structure moves into a working prototype.
3D-printed parts and a switch bracket were refined, and the unfolding motion was recorded on a physical prototype. The project was exhibited in the 2025 College of Art and Design joint exhibition and selected by the Gangwon Design Exhibition; possible collision at the actuator's end position remains a follow-up review of the stops, springs, and support structure.
A physical prototype whose motion can be recorded.
The unfolding motion and exhibition context of the physical prototype are recorded. The film shows the folded wings opening and the two speaker drivers turning toward the listener.
The side view shows the relationship between wing movement and actuator placement.
The structure and movement were explored in CAD and Blender before being connected to fabricated parts and an exhibition prototype.
The exhibition view confirms the speaker's directional movement and interaction in context.
The prototype shows the wings unfolding and the speaker drivers turning toward the listening position after power-on.
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