CookCom is a network of wirelessly connected wristbands that help to enable non-verbal communication in busy industrial kitchens. We aim to make the hospitality industry a more accessible place, especially for individuals with hearing difficulties
6-month project for Industrial Design Engineering
CookCom is a network of wirelessly connected wristbands that help to enable non-verbal communication in busy industrial kitchens. We aim to make the hospitality industry a more accessible place, especially for individuals with hearing difficulties
Garmin was not engaged in any consultancy or collaborative capacity with this project and the outcome is in no way endorsed by them. Any publicity is limited to personal and academic use
Identifying the problem
466 million people have hearing loss, which is defined as hearing loss greater than 40 dB in the better hearing ear
We wanted to address this issue as we think deaf and HoH people deserve the ability function as members of our society
Prototyping and Testing
3 prototyping stages were needed to finalise the device
Range and power calculations determined that the wireless range of the bracelet is 15.7m approximately and a battery of at least 125mAh was needed to power the device
App Design and Layout
Used by waiters to take orders with their existing smart device – no additional equipment needs to be purchased
Turns the smart device into a base station. When an order is submitted, the app calculates which chef(s) need to be alerted, and with which commands
The app can be configured to customise the list of menu items waiters can request. Each menu item can be configured to send specific commands to specific wristbands
Allows waiters and managers to view stats for the kitchen, such as the current number of orders, the number of chefs on duty, and availability of menu items
Final Prototype & Limitations
The final prototype enables users to transmit, receive, "broadcast to all", and reply to other wristbands in a localised kitchen network, with a wireless range of approximately 15 m.
The final prototype succeeded in showcasing the envisioned communication system in an industrial kitchen environment. However, feedback from this final prototype included the fact that the casing was still too bulky on users' wrists.
To make the package even smaller, we'd need to design a custom PCB with all of the components integrated.
Project Documentation - Portfolio Pages
Project Documentation - Report Pages
