Future Food District - Expo Milano 2015
This huge white hangar explores how digital technology can change our interactions with food and our consumption habits.
The themed pavilion, designed by Italian design firm Carlo Ratti Associati with supermarket chain COOP Italia and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), showcases how data could change the way we interact with the food we eat, informing us about its origins and characteristics, and suggesting recipes or ways to accompany them.
The pavilion at Expo 2015 is a real supermarket, where people can interact with and buy products.
Its interior resembles a sloping warehouse, with more than 1500 products displayed on large interactive tables.
As people can browse through different products, information is visible on suspended augmented reality mirrors that inform about the products' origin, nutritional value, allergens, and even their carbon footprint.
In addition to the technological aspect, it is also a question of exchanges, economy and a more social and, above all, more responsible and sustainable consumption.
Robots with arms, the ability to see and feel, interact with customers and are also integrated into the supply chain.
Another pavilion, dedicated to the kitchen, allows visitors to experiment with new ways of preparing food.
The supermarket's outdoor plaza also showcases new ways of producing food, such as vertical hydroponic systems for growing vegetables and algae and insect farming.
The pavilion's exterior houses the world's largest plotter.
This plotter, made of mechanical arms that move along two axes, draws on the façade with a paint sprayer in different colours, and dynamically transforms the appearance of the building.