Combating food waste
Worldwide, one third of all produced food is wasted. To battle this, Orbisk developed an automated food waste monitor for restaurants and hotels. Using Artificial Intelligence, Orbisk provides insights, enabling users to adjust the menu, optimize their purchasing process and change portion or buffet sizes to reduce food waste up to a staggering 70%.
Component reconfiguration based on user insights
The first Orbisk prototype was a basic plastic unit with a camera, sensors, and a touchscreen, mounted high on a wall above a wheeled bin. I was tasked with turning it into a stable, scalable product for global use. After visiting test sites and speaking with users, key improvements included:
- Moving the touchscreen below the camera for better ergonomics
- Mounting the monitor on a pole to avoid wall drilling
- Adding a LED indicator to guide food placement height
- Switching the screen to portrait for better vertical balance
- Streamlining the interface to keep up with busy kitchen workflows
Component reconfiguration based on user insights
The first Orbisk prototype was a basic plastic unit with a camera, sensors, and a touchscreen, mounted high on a wall above a wheeled bin. I was tasked with turning it into a stable, scalable product for global use. After visiting test sites and speaking with users, key improvements included:
- Moving the touchscreen below the camera for better ergonomics
- Mounting the monitor on a pole to avoid wall drilling
- Adding a LED indicator to guide food placement height
- Switching the screen to portrait for better vertical balance
- Streamlining the interface to keep up with busy kitchen workflows
Form follows hygiene
Hygiene was a top requirement when designing the food waste monitor for professional kitchens. I explored soft, rounded shapes during the sketching phase—not just for visual appeal, but to reduce dirt traps and make the product easier to clean. This led me to challenge the limits of sheet metal by incorporating large radii, which are harder to produce than sharp corners but essential for maintaining strict kitchen hygiene. The result is a design that blends seamlessly into stainless-steel environments while being both beautiful and highly functional.
Easy maintenance and serviceability
In case of technical problems, the monitor had to be operational again as quickly as possible. Together with the client, we decided to implement a swappable electronics module. I decided to place all electronics on the front panel of the monitor. Before swapping the electronics module, the whole monitor can be lifted and placed slightly higher on the pole by means of two hooks. Thereafter, the easy accessible fasteners can be unscrewed and the front panel can be slid down. Just unplug the power connector and swap the full electronics module.
Fast small series production
Demand for the Orbisk was high, to enable Orbisk to get further traction the first production run was realized within six months. By creating the construction and housing from sheet metal, moldings were avoided which saved a lot of time. And by working together with local and known manufacturers, prototypes were created in a matter of weeks.
