Although it looks like an unassuming puck on your work table or bedside table, the Rotator has the fun ability to shapeshift between being a charging mat, and a vertical stand for your smartphone. Its cylindrical design with an angular cut running through gives it its unique point of interaction. In its normal state, the Rotator sits flat like a cylinder on your table. Rotate the upper half of the cylinder using the angular cut as a reference, and it flips over at a 60° angle, giving you a neat diagonal stand for your smartphone that also allows you to wirelessly charge it. Additionally, the puck-shaped Rotator also has an array of audio drivers within it that let it double as a Bluetooth smart speaker! “Existing phone holders are often lacking in functionality, only folding or charging. I want to maximize the functions of the mobile phone holder, and realize the combination of mobile phone holder, Bluetooth speaker, charging, screen brightness and sound control, so as to provide maximum convenience for users”, said designer Tianyang Yuan.
Designer: Tianyang Yuan
The Rotator’s design is interesting, in the fact that even though it looks rather plain, it’s filled with a bunch of surprises. For starters, the cylindrical puck isn’t static, but has the ability to lean over and become an angled stand. The place where you rest your phone houses a wireless charging coil under it that detects your phone and begins charging its battery instantly… however, the area around the coil has audio drivers built-in that allow the Rotator to function as a Bluetooth speaker. The upper surface also has two metallic studs that support your phone when you’re resting it on the angled surface… but look closer and those metal studs are, in fact, rotary knobs that let you control your phone’s brightness and your speaker’s volume.
The Rotator is a winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2022.
