NOVA’s goal is simple. To bring joy and wonder back to the table.
It’s not just about ordering food, it’s about making the dining experience part of the story.
When was the last time you had a dining experience in a theme park that actually felt memorable? As theme parks and immersive venues push boundaries to create emotional, story-driven environments, why does dining there feel so dull?
Whilst 78% of young people admit to using their phones when dining, all it takes is for you to stop and look around to realise that this is becoming a multigenerational problem. This is because nothing around them is demanding their attention. We’ve made dining so convenient, we’ve forgotten to make it meaningful.
NOVA is a holographic ordering system that transforms the table into an immersive experience. Imagine entering a restaurant and each table has a floating, mid-air food menu that can be interacted with, from the touch of your finger. This is made possible through the Pepper’s Ghost effect and retroreflective materials. It tracks your finger gestures using TOF sensors, so that you can swipe, tap, and explore the floating interface.
NOVA doesn’t remove people from the process, it includes them. It’s built on a hybrid service model. Guests place their orders by themselves at the table, in a fun and engaging way. However, the food is still brought by friendly waiters, and the bill is handled by humans.
NOVA is used for immersive spaces such as Disneyland’s Star Wars, Harry Potter World, Legoland, planetariums. NOVA doesn’t just blend in, it brings the table to life. This is made possible with servo-powered antennas which creates character, a Lazy Susan for everyone to use and there’s even a discreet storage compartment for condiments.
This was a group project that was designed to remotely drive around an obstacle course with the intent to extinguish tea light candles at different elevations.
The chassis and driving system were based around how tanks operate in the real world. The assumption was that there would be more surface area for the vehicle to grip onto when climbing over the obstacles. The extinguishing method took inspiration from car engine pistons and how they move. Closing the end with a small hole causes compressed air to be pushed at high velocity to extinguish the flames. This results in a remote controlled tank that extinguishes the tea light candles with a fully automatic vortex cannon.
However, there are some next steps that can make the vehicle better. For example, the electronics could be housed better for better aesthetics, the tracks can be simplified to reduce the number of moving parts to make it more robust and the extinguishing methods could be adjusted so that the vehicle is less top heavy, preventing it from toppling over.
Over the six month at Stag Design in Scotland, I primarily operated laser cutters to craft personalised products for weddings and household use. While gaining valuable insights into precision design, material selection and being aware of material waste, I learnt what it takes to create and maintain a start-up business that can compete industry today.
For six months, I was assigned to develop, 3D render, sample and model for photoshoots. All the products displayed I assisted with that were ultimately brought to market. I product developed for brands such as: Original Stormtrooper, Atari and Care Bears.
Not only did I generate new concepts, but I also tested and prototyped products in house through additive manufacturing (3D printing) before being sent to manufactures to create test samples.
In this role, I learn to be confident and collaborative within the workspace. From engaging and giving my input during weekly meetings, to leading the design team through two design concepts and pitching it to potential buyers, this time in industry has taught me to work effectively in a team to achieve common goals.
