"E-Capsules" is a visualised TUI (Tangible User Interface) concept for Nespresso I created for Bose-Collins. The concept was built on a system called "TacTile" that I invented in collaboration with two interaction designers. Without the involvement of any electronic devices, chips, printed circuit boards, RFID or bluetooth applications our low-cost and mass-producible system would make the Nespresso capsules recognisable by phones or tablets simply by placing the capsules on their capacitive screen. The concept not only provides an augmented reality environment where users/consumers can read and “visualise" the characteristics of a given blend but a new opportunity to experience the brand in an interactive and audio visually engaging way.

Tactile is a tangible user interface (TUI) that was developed for a game design competition in 2012. Tactile went on to win the Special Award category, presented by Ernö Rubik, Inventor of the Rubik's Cube.

Tactile is an application featuring a complex system that allows each side of our special cubes "tac-tiles” to interface directly with the users tablet and/or touchscreen smartphone once placed on its screen.  

Challenge (1) Finding a physical solution to conducting electricity to simulate/substitute humans touch that works across multiple devices. Additional Challenges: limitations in the number of touches (points) that a screen and the operating system runs behind can recognise. Challenge (2) Inventing a system that goes align with the limitations of the capacitive screens. Additional Challenges: That is smart enough to recognise and distinguish patterns in a mini point cloud (appearing on the mobiles screens as a result of the simulated "touches") so we can with confidence recognise whether if “bland A”, “B”, “C” or “D” had been placed on the screen. Challenge (3) Creating a tangible design that provides the right signal to the screen (simulating human touch), it has the right conductivity, the right diameter (per signal point) and keeps the minimum and maximum distances between signals so the screens doesn’t get confused while reading multiple points in the same time. Challenge (4) Writing the right algorithm and logic that can process and understand the  "random appearance" of points and what uses proportions and "geometrical logic" to cope with such matters - so it has the ability to clearly identify the blends. Challenge (5) Coming up with audio visual and interactively engaging concepts and journeys to fully utilise the potential of both the system we created and the brand that can be manifested in it - in this nice mix of virtual and real.