HomeEducationMaster‘Future Foods’ installations by University of Twente students

‘Future Foods’ installations by University of Twente students

35 University of Twente students asked themselves: how can new technologies help make food and drink more interesting and more fun, as well as easier and healthier? Their interactive installations will be on display from 28 January during the ‘Future Foods’ exhibition at Fooddock in Deventer.

“We challenged our students to think outside-the-box and to come up with stimulating ideas”, explains Gijs Huisman, teacher and doctoral candidate at the University of Twente Department of Human Media Interaction. “They took a hands-on approach and devised unusual ways of interacting with technology. The focus of this assignment was combining food and technology to discover how various technologies can influence our eating habits. Technology can simplify things, completely change certain rituals or create new experiences.”

COMMIT/research project Tasty Bits & Bytes inspired this year’s assignment. In this project, UT researchers Dirk Heylen, Merijn Bruijnes and Gijs Huisman investigate the options for mixed reality food technology. Large companies such as Unilever, Friesland Campina and Noldus IT are consultants on this project.

The ‘Future Foods’ installations

35 Master’s degree students of Human Media Interaction,Industrial Design Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management and Communication Studies split into small groups and built interactive installations combining technology and a culinary experience. Project topics included the future of menus, giving new meaning to the phrase “eating together” and a chance to acquire new eating habits. They also demonstrated how a Tinder date can alter your views on eating.

Thunder dinner
Use a ‘smart’ spoon and Kinect to measure your eating speed. Eat too fast and you will hear the sound of thunder.

Tea machine
Try your luck on this clever slot machine and your prize is a very special cup of tea. This machine combines tea variations, special effects and the option to rank your tea.

Food roulette
Food ordering system using a smartphone app and a touch table.

Sushi experience
Ordering sushi on a touch table becomes an interactive experience.

Ørbit
Spinning disc that holds eight appetizer glasses in which different tastes each have their own fixed shape thanks to spherification. Projected shapes and colours serve to enhance the flavours.

The Hunger Games
A table with four holes containing dishes. These dishes only become available once everyone has picked up their forks in a particular order.

About Fooddock
The Future Food exhibition at Fooddock in Deventer will be opened on Thursday 28 January at 17:00. Fooddock is the first food hall in the east of the Netherlands. The concept is to present food with a story, food that is pure and honest and comes straight from producers who are passionate about their products. At Deventer’s Havenkwartier, you will find over 15 participants located in the former industrial grain silo.

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