Top-ranking conference recognises student 3D pizza ordering system project

A STUDENT project encouraging people to make healthier food choices using new technologies has been accepted for a highly regarded conference.

Luke Jones developed his project as a final year BSc Computer Science student which revolved around the Internet of Things, and earned him an invitation to UbiComp 2020 - a premier interdisciplinary venue in which leading international researchers, designers, developers, and practitioners in the field present and discuss novel results in all aspects of ubiquitous and pervasive computing.

Luke’s project presented a 3D Printed interactive food ordering system, PizzaBox, that aimed to differ from the conventional food ordering systems and provide an entertaining and unique experience when ordering pizza.  The aim was to investigate whether using PizzaBox could encourage new healthy habits amongst users or promote a healthier lifestyle.

Through user testing, Luke was able to deduce that overall, participants agreed that seeing the ingredients in 3D form would make them think more about the choice of food they are ordering and would consider either reducing the number of ingredients or changing the ingredients entirely. Participants also identified the PizzaBox as being an entertaining product for a younger audience to engage with and learn about their food.

Luke, who is currently in the final stages of completing an MSc in Digital Forensics said: “I was overwhelmed when I received the email explaining that my project had been accepted to UbiComp 2020, especially since it was an undergraduate project.

“The project taught me so much about the technologies involved and, as well as working with my supervisor Charith Perera, gave me a fantastic insight into the world of conducting academic research. It was also a great feeling to be contacted by a former colleague, who had chosen to take my work and continue it in their undergraduate dissertation and to be able to help them understand the technologies. I would like to thank Charith who was a tremendous supervisor throughout.

This year’s UbiComp / ISWC 2020 conference will be a virtual conference held online starting September 12 2020.