LSN : News : Need to know 27 : 10 : 17

1. Snøhetta combines experiential dining with sustainability

Under by Snøhetta, Norway

Norway – Billed as Europe's first underwater restaurant, Under by design and architecture practice Snøhetta will welcome diners and interdisciplinary research teams to a novel location that is also dedicated to a greater cause. The building has been designed with a rough outer surface to encourage mussels to take up residence, in time creating an artificial mussel reef that will naturally filter pollutants from the sea water and attract additional marine life. Muted lighting will be installed on the sea bed to enhance the spectacle, which diners will be able to observe through a panoramic acrylic window while enjoying locally sourced seafood from Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen.

Email us at [email protected] to book our Food and Drink 2017 presentation, which includes a special feature on the future of sustainable food.

2. Designers campaign for legal status for autonomous machines

SAM by Arvid&Marie, Eindhoven

Eindhoven – Design duo Arvid&Marie presented SAM, a Symbiotic Autonomous Machine, as part of Dutch Design Week to raise the issue of economic rights for machines.

SAM is an automated food production system that makes water kefir soda, serves it to customers at cost price, and manages its own distribution, pricing and maintenance. From its income, the machine pays taxes, bills and fees for its human assistants, showing that it is capable of managing and supporting itself financially without human control.

More than just a proof of concept, the project is a call to grant legal rights to autonomous machines. An accompanying proposal for a legal framework, The Autonomous Actor Fluid Rights, argues that ‘Every entity intelligent enough to make its own independent decisions in a specific domain is empowered in rights and responsible for obligations in this specific domain’.

As well as offering a logical and ethical argument, Arvid&Marie explain that giving autonomous machines legal status would also create a fairer economic system in which the profits from automation would be distributed throughout society, rather than benefitting only the technology companies.

To find out more about the future of automation, look out for our Viewpoint with Marie Caye of Arvid&Marie.

3. Educational platform Kahoot! moves beyond the classroom

Norway – Kahoot!, which was first launched in 2013 as a free educational platform for children, has expanded its offer to cater for businesses. For £7.50 ($9.95, €8.50) a month, businesses gain access to a suite of assessment and planning templates that can be used to create materials for corporate training programmes.

Subscribers can save their customised templates in a dedicated area and share them privately across their organisation. The platform enables corporate teams to analyse the effectiveness of their training system by tracking metrics such as the number of questions answered correctly and the speed at which questions are answered. Kahoot! is being used by brands in the retail sector to help sales assistants track stock levels.

In our Generation D Recruitment microtrend, we explored how brands are increasingly using gamified experiences to complement their recruitment processes.

Kahoot! Plus, Norway

4. Moody encourages women to listen to their bodies

Moody by Laura Weir and Amy Thomson, London

London – Co-founded by ES Magazine editor Laura Weir and Amy Thomson of Future Girl Corp, Moody is a new editorial platform designed to help women to be more in tune with their hormones. The website offers advice to enable women to ‘live their best life’ by adapting their lifestyle to fit around their menstrual cycle.

The visually led website features interviews with industry figures such as food influencer Melissa Hemsley and Biocol Labs co-founder Christine Pausewang, who offer an insight into their own experiences. Brands such as Moody and My Flo are fostering a deeper understanding of female biology among consumers.

5. Frozen food sales heat up as Millennials drive growth

Time-poor shoppers are increasingly turning to frozen food, according to sales and marketing agency Acosta. Fuelled by the desire for convenience and a belief in the health credentials of frozen food, there has been a rise in sales across all demographics, as 26% of US consumers reported shopping more frequently in the frozen food aisles compared to a year ago.

6. Thought-starter: Is it time to embrace the suburbs?

As cities struggle to meet the different needs of their citizens, strategic research director Sebastien Van Laere argues that the suburbs are ripe for a creative, cultural and commercial comeback.

It is becoming evident that major city centres are not prepared for the populations they are forecast to have in the next decade and beyond. Several environmental, social, economic and technological shifts will continue to force humanity to look beyond the city walls for solutions. Globally, cities are now facing a pollution crisis with no immediate solutions. In addition, cities that once prided themselves as melting pots of cultural diversity with opportunities for all have been transformed into gentrified monocultural entities that favour overseas investment.

In the future, advances in technology will further enable working fluidly. Virtual reality will make working remotely even more efficient, while self-driving cars and high-speed transport links will facilitate faster and more affordable commuting.

One scenario for the future of suburbs comes from businesses, which are looking to design their own creative habitats that seek to benefit all stakeholders: residents, the environment and investors.

For more on how to create civic, cultural and commercial value, read the full Opinion piece.