Pebble
Smart Cardboard Shredder
Competition: Small Wonder Competition, Philadelphia Museum of Art (Jury: Dieter Rams) 2024
Pebble is a home and office-scale shredder designed to repurpose paper and cardboard waste efficiently. With voice recognition and smart blades,Inspired by the organic form of a smooth river stone, the design emphasizes tactile interaction, low noise, and seamless integration into domestic environments.
Concept Design
Inspired by the organic form of a smooth river stone, the design emphasizes tactile interaction, low noise, and seamless integration into domestic environments.
Category: Industrial Design / Sustainable Systems
Design Intent
Pebble enables small-scale recycling at the point of use — transforming packaging into reusable filler, insulation, or compostable strips.The concept was born from observing the volume of packaging waste generated by online retail and furniture deliveries.
Core goals::
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Reduce carbon emissions by decentralizing cardboard recycling.
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Encourage sustainable habits through intuitive, aesthetic design.
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Minimize operational noise and complexity using smart automation.
Form Exploration
Pebble reimagines this waste not as trash but as raw material that can be reprocessed locally, reducing carbon miles and circularizing small-scale material flows. Early explorations focused on balancing organic ergonomics and functional clarity:
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Rounded pebble-like geometry for an approachable home object.
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Modular shell composition for easy disassembly.
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Material contrast (matte ceramics, rubberized grip, woven inserts) for texture differentiation.
Pebble was recognized as an innovative approach to domestic sustainability tools, combining human-centered design, smart automation, and circular thinking. It stands as both a functional appliance and a statement on responsible consumption.
Enamel Prototype
Pebble integrates three shredding systems to handle varied paper densities:
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Vertical trim blades – resize sheets or small cardboard panels.
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Rollers with retractable pins – grip and feed heavier materials.
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Cross-cut blades – perforate and fragment cardboard.
The shredded output collects in a removable inner container, while the lower compartment houses a rechargeable battery and power bank system.
Product Dimension
Pebble transforms discarded packaging into a reusable resource, cutting emissions from transport and off-site recycling. Designed for disassembly, each component can be repaired, replaced, or recycled, extending the product’s life and minimizing waste.