iEat: An interactive restaurant table

User interaction is supported through moving or placing plates on the table, as well as through infrared lightpens, which are stylus-shaped, LED-based, infrared light (IR) emitters.

Selecting dishes and ordering

• Customers can explore the restaurant menu: dish thumbnails of the selected menu category are displayed around the empty dish which is nearest to the customer. When the customer selects a menu item, it is projected in the dish.
• The option for ordering the plate is also readily available.
• The order list summarizes all the dishes that have been added by the two diners, providing facilities for removing a dish from the list, view more details for a particular dish, order a specific dish and order all the dishes in the list.

Playing

• The iEat table features interactive games played using the empty plates and the lightpens.
• In the current prototype, a breakout type game has been developed.

Decorating and Communicating

• The iEat table supports facilities for decorating the table surface, through a library of alternative virtual backgrounds (tablecloths), as well as highly customizable drawing toolset.
• Users are able to post their drawings to their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The Eat table is accessible for individuals with visual or mobility impairments. This is achieved through a specially designed accessibility controller that allows users to select an interaction mode according to their needs. Specifically, the controller supports interaction with user interface elements through screen reader and sequential scanning techniques, thus facilitating the seamless navigation of the full content and the complete set of functions of the application.

Target Domains

iEat addresses the food and beverage domain, providing a unique experience to restaurant, cafeteria, and bar customers.

Awards
iEat: An interactive restaurant table received both the exhibition’s Silver Medal and the Thailand Award for Best International Invention at the “2014 Taipei International Invention Show & Technomart” (Taiwan). Read more information here.