Shaobo Liu
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Projects
About
CV
News
Load-bearing sustainable paper tube building system
Individual Project
Timeline: 9/2023 - 10/2023
Scale: 4” x 3” x 3” inches/ 915 x 50 x 50 mm
Material: Papertube, PLA
TUBO is an assembling toy system designed for preteens—not just to construct physical structures, but to build confidence, agency, and independent thinking. By creating a modular system with multiple possibilities and no single “correct” outcome, TUBO encourages exploration over instruction.
The goal is to shift away from standardized solutions and toward creative validation: allowing young users to test their own ideas, problem-solve through hands-on play, and learn to trust their own judgment before deferring to others. Through this open-ended process, TUBO supports the development of self-esteem and critical thinking during a formative stage, where the freedom to create—and the permission to fail—is just as important as the final result.
Parts
There’re 8 kinds of pieces involved in this systemConcept Development
Concept: Identified a market gap between toys and maker tools for preteens. Kids at this stage want more independence and creativity than traditional toys provide but aren’t ready for heavy-duty tools. TUBO was envisioned as a modular building system that empowers open-ended creativity while remaining safe and approachable.Culturally, the project draws from the evolving role of the audience in creative work—from classical sculpture like Michelangelo’s David, where mastery is revered, to Donald Judd’s minimalist structures that invite spatial interaction, and to contemporary generative art where audience participation completes the piece. In this lineage, TUBO offers preteens a chance to not just build, but to author space, express identity, and experience making as something empowering and personal.
Market Research
Defined key goals: encourage creativity, ensure safety, allow multiple outcomes, and foster a sense of ownership.The following visualization shows the toy system comparison on a comparable scale based on market research. The four main aspects shown here are scale, difficulty, ownership and weight. We can observe that each of the four play systems fall short in at least one of the four categories. The purpose of the paper tube-based building system is to try to achieve balance between the four categories, as shown in the visualization. The following sections will discuss the gaps the market failed to address and how the paper tube-based building system is suitable for bridging these gaps.
Design Development
Selected sustainable paper tubes as the primary material for scale, durability, and cost-effectiveness. Designed custom 3D-printed connectors to enable multiple assembly options. Created CAD models and physical prototypes to test form, ergonomics, and stability.The project involves multiple stages with material research to achieve an accessible system for preteens and families,
which covers fiber glass, wood, MDF, steel, plastic, paper, etc.