Project Type:
Vehicle, Hard Toy
Tugmo is a modular system of wooden and 3D-printed tugboats and barges that merges maritime play with guided movement and tactile construction. Inspired by traditional wooden train sets, it reimagines the concept by replacing trains with functional harbor vessels that connect and move along wooden tracks, viewing water as a structural element rather than just a surface. The boats traverse track pathways resembling a moat, which guides their motion and fosters exploration through form rather than explicit instructions. Play evolves naturally through handling, observation, and repetition. Each barge has unique cargo—logs, containers, or gravel—introducing variation, balance, and storytelling through physical materials instead of characters or screens. With earthy colors and natural materials, Tugmo promotes calming, durable play and can serve as both a play system and a visual object in homes, studios, or exhibitions.
Interlocking Track System
Each wooden track functions as a guiding moat, directing tugboats along a fixed yet reconfigurable path. Tracks connect using a jigsaw-style peg-and-slot system, ensuring proper alignment, stability, and easy assembly. The system promotes experimentation with layout while maintaining consistent, guided movement.
Interchangeable Barge Toppers
Each barge is equipped with interchangeable cargo items—such as logs, containers, or gravel—enabling children to rearrange, swap, and sequence loads as they play. The variety of shapes and textures adds elements of balance, rhythm, and visual contrast, fostering storytelling and exploration through tangible materials rather than characters or screens.
Ramp Tracks
The system features elevated ramp tracks enabling vessels to move over and through the layout. These ramps add vertical movement while preserving the guided track system, increasing the play area without breaking continuity. Wave-like artwork along the ramp surfaces suggests boats riding waves or navigating flowing water beneath the channel. This artwork emphasizes motion and fluidity, seamlessly integrated into the structure to enhance visual storytelling without hindering play.
Display Stand
Tugmo features a dedicated display stand that holds one tugboat and three barges when playtime ends. The stand improves the system's object quality, allowing it to be stored or displayed as a complete set rather than loose parts.
3D Printing Process
This project uses a digital design and fabrication workflow that combines 3D modeling with iterative 3D printing. It focuses on repeatedly testing form, fit, weight, and assembly, allowing design choices to develop through physical prototypes. These time-lapse videos record the printing process. This approach considers 3D printing not just as a manufacturing method but as a crucial part of the design process—guiding the development of structure, material properties, and final appearance through ongoing refinement.
Ideation
Below illustrates the development and research process that led to the creation of the final piece.
