UNYQ and IKEA launch 3D printed product line for gamers

Given there are around 2 billion gamers in the world, it was time to create some 3D printed pieces just for them. This is the aim of the new partnership between IKEA and UNYQ – to explore how personalisation and home furnishing can change gaming and life around it. “We are curious about how home furnishing combined with new technology could improve gaming and life around it. And we believe that we have just the right collaborators to do this, one that knows all about the needs of gamers and one that knows all about the technologies of personalisation”, says Marcus Engman, Head of Design at IKEA Range & Supply.

So what are the new products being launched as a result of this new collaboration? The first is a biometric wrist support, which maintains the correct height of the gamer’s wrist to the keyboard, reducing strain on their tendons. The second is a keyboard accessory – soft pliable vented keycaps, which make the keyboard feel like a physical extension of gamers’ fingers. And finally, a mouse accessory was a must – this 3D printed accessory clamps the user’s mouse cable in place, preventing tangling and enabling full freedom of movement. The 3D printing technology behind the production of these products was Carbon’s.

The 3D printed wrist support for gamers | Credits: IKEA

Even though this collaboration focused on gaming, the same concept could be applied to different sectors that lack products and solutions personalised to suit specific needs. UNYQ is an industry-leading company that currently produces medical wears, in particular orthopedic devices. They create, imagine and mass-customise products using 3D printing to heal and reflect people. In this partnership, they had the expertise required to understand what gamers need.