NANO Supermarket

Since the rise of Philips’ Foodprinter and the amazing developments in 3D printing we made some speculations on future shopping on this blog.

What, for instance, will a future supermarket look like if we can print our own food? We might buy only the basic elements to fill the printer with, such as C2 powder or a bag of NaSo4. And what will an electronic shop look like if we’re all able to print our cables and extension pieces? They might not even exist any more. These are all interesting questions focusing on only one new technological development. To create a broader understanding about the future of production Next Nature calls upon designers, technologists and artists to submit their speculative nanotech products for the NANO Supermarket.


Less than four weeks you have left to submit speculative nanotech products for the NANO Supermarket, which is a project by Next Nature’s Koert van Mensvoort that aims to investigate the role that new technology will play in the production of our daily needs. This autumn, the Next Nature NANO Supermarket will be presented in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A physical supermarket featuring debate–provoking visions on possible nanotech products is expected to open its doors between today and 2020.

The list of examples of products to be displayed in the NANO Supermarkt consists of self–healing anti-scratch surfaces, tasty medicine, contact lenses with a display, molecular printed food, diabetes tattoos, cyborg insects, tooth phones, organic jewelry, and Twitter implants. Submit whatever you can envision. A selection of the projects will be presented in the NANO Supermarket. The best submission is awarded with a € 2,500 prize. Here’s some background information about submitting a product. Read the full manual on Next Nature:

  1. Product pitch and description of your model (any media is allowed).
  2. Visual presentation of the product (preferably a magazine-style advertisement).
  3. Reflection on technical feasibility: Which nanotech principles allow the product to function, how can the product be produced, in what year do you expect it can be produced?
  4. Reflection on social-cultural implications: What are the promises and fears of the underlying nanotechnology and how can it change our everyday life?

All products will be judged upon originality, design quality, visual presentation, technological feasibility, social-cultural implications, and the extent which your design stimulates debate. Deadline for submissions is 31st of May, 2010.

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