Insights on Teufel's First Open-Source Speaker

Summary

Industrial Designer Erik and Electrical Engineer Jonathan, two of the creative forces behind the new MYND Bluetooth speaker sat down with us for an interview to give fascinating insights into its development. They tell us how the MYND brings together durability and Open-Source philosophy in a way that allows consumers to let their imaginations run wild with customization ideas. The Longer a Speaker is Used, the Lower its Environmental Impact. Teufel Blog: Erik & Jonathan, please introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about your roles in the development of the MYND. Erik: Gladly! I’m an industrial designer and I’m responsible for product design and implementation. Basically, I shepherd the project from initial concept all the way to final product. Jonathan: And I have been working on this project from the start as an electrical engineer. So I was involved from prototyping all the way to final components and PCB (printed circuit board) layout. Teufel Blog: The MYND is a product that was developed with a particular focus on long lifespan. What makes the MYND so durable? Erik: The fundamental idea behind the MYND is sustainability. The longer a speaker is used by the customer, the lower its CO² footprint, and thus its environmental impact. That was why it was very important for us that the MYND be very easy to repair. Even users without specialist knowledge can replace the battery no problem. We even published a tutorial. It’s hard to say today what technologies are going to become standard in the future, but we will try to be reactive to that and provide customers with components that will help facilitate new features. The vision behind the MYND: Sustainability Jonathan: In terms of electronics, there are a number of factors that help prolong the MYND’s lifespan. For portable speakers, the battery is usually the first thing to fail. Usually, they can only last a few years. Best case scenario, users will then keep their speaker plugged in all the time. But in the worst,...