London restaurant claims fame with touch-sensitive tables, colorful menu projectors

A chic London restaurant and bar called Inamo is making patrons' dining experiences digital by projecting colorful menus and aesthetic patterns onto touch-sensitive tabletops. When browsing, patrons can preview the food as if it were on the plate in front of them -- only flatter, we suppose. They can also order their meals, look up neighborhood services, and select one of seven visual vibes without ever interacting with carbon-based lifeforms. Inamo isn't the first automated establishment we've seen, and this sort of table menu tech isn't new -- but the futuristic panache is hard to beat. Hit the read link for more pics.

[Thanks, Nvyseal]

[Shinigami @ Oct 8th 2008 2:42AM]

"Please don't bite the table"

[Hemanth @ Oct 8th 2008 7:03AM]

And please, don't drool on it

[Bjsfreaked @ Oct 8th 2008 9:59AM]

I can see someone someone doing this.
It'll be funny to see... someone leaves the table and cleaner comes to see bite marks in the surface.

[OneLove @ Oct 8th 2008 2:32PM]

At first glance I thought the restaurant was called "LMAO"

[waiownsyou @ Oct 8th 2008 2:46AM]

I foresee a lawsuit between whoever makes this and Microsoft for the Surface technology. I wonder what else this technology can be used for besides at restaurants or at hotels/cell phone stores. I say.... porn shops?

[Daniel Jones @ Oct 8th 2008 3:21AM]

Its nothing like the Microsoft Surface. Its an image projected onto the table which is then touch sensitive.. if you read. Just like in schools and colleges where they have SMART boards(touch sensitive) and a projected image from a computer/ device etc.

[burnblue @ Oct 8th 2008 2:39PM]

@Daniel, that's exactly like the Surface.. except that with Surface the projector is under the table

[Zorque @ Oct 8th 2008 3:00AM]

I bet they're going to love constantly bringing food to people who accidentally set their fork on the wrong part of the table.

[Ian @ Oct 8th 2008 3:18AM]

"Hey! The salad looked bigger in the picture!!!"

[Link2877 @ Oct 8th 2008 3:26AM]

If you can play games and stuff with other people on the table while you wait for your food this would be pretty damn cool.

[alexmueller @ Oct 8th 2008 12:20PM]

You can

[Ian @ Oct 8th 2008 3:48AM]

How long before someone tries to load OS X onto it?

[JerkfacedFed @ Oct 8th 2008 9:34AM]

why would someone load osx on it? first of all doesnt support this tech and second it sucks.

[Luke @ Oct 8th 2008 3:55AM]

And they could have a version of MS Paint for the kids to cut down on crayon costs =P

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 8th 2008 12:09PM]

At a place like this, I'm willing to bet their crayon budget rarely exceeds $10 per year for 100 boxes of crappy paraffin coloring sticks. Great idea for the future if something similiar to this eventually gets wheeled into fast food joints.

[Viaono @ Oct 8th 2008 3:59AM]

Will it recognize spilled sauces?

Drops of Coca-Cola?

Or they need to be attached with RFID labels..

[William @ Oct 8th 2008 4:01AM]

LAN party =D

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 8th 2008 4:46AM]

Yeah! Just some virtual food fight !!

[jez @ Oct 8th 2008 4:01AM]

I've eaten here and its great, you can open up a live cam of the kitchen, order a cab home, find out which bar to head to after your meal, change the colour of the tables, play games with the person opposite you. Its a great eating experience, if not a little pricey.
the table isn't touch sensitive, it has a large track pad at the side and you navigate the table like you navigate your laptop. It would be better if the table was a "surface" table, but it still works well.

[Viaono @ Oct 8th 2008 4:29AM]

Whoa, just found out it isn't MS Surface!

[Lloytron @ Oct 8th 2008 4:05AM]

Knowing my luck my table would be the first to get the BSOD.

[Shinigami @ Oct 8th 2008 6:03AM]

BTOD :)

[bandigolo @ Oct 8th 2008 10:19AM]

Blue Steak of Death?

[NoAndThen @ Oct 8th 2008 4:06AM]

It's a big-ass table.

[Gilbert Tang @ Oct 8th 2008 4:18AM]

So this is what it looks like playing Guitar Hero at a board meeting.

[calvinki @ Oct 8th 2008 4:25AM]

Oooch! Hot pot!

[MiekStan @ Oct 8th 2008 4:36AM]

It's about 3 doors down from me, I was wondering why the hell it took them so long to open after the tables had been put in, I guess this might explain it. The menu looks ok and not too expensive for the area all things considered. Might have to check it out once I've got some readies.

[Renfro @ Nov 2nd 2008 11:17AM]

Do you mean 3 doors down from where you work? or are you absolutely loaded and live on Wardour Street?

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 8th 2008 4:44AM]

Wow! I would love to go for dinner there..... The dinner would not be too expensive compared to the Air-fare. !!

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 8th 2008 12:13PM]

Thats a strange statement. Now we're flying around the world to eat at a place, not for their food, but for their tables? Which, by the way, are capable of doing the same thing your average computer has been doing for years.

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 8th 2008 1:38PM]

Well, If I say I want to dine there, dosen't mean I am specially going to go to London for dinner! But I will surely visit the restaurant when I go to London....

[Ian @ Oct 8th 2008 4:48AM]

The light coming from the table would eventually be an annoyance, no? I don't want to see a silhouette of the food I'm eating.

[a_roast_chicken @ Oct 8th 2008 5:29AM]

For a split second there I thought I was looking at a Guitar Hero screenshot.

[Geert Bullens @ Oct 8th 2008 5:45AM]

What I see is another system being implemented in a context where little respect is payed to existing customs of this context. What if developers would start from the beginning: offer restaurant guests a nice (or unique) social experience when they are in a hospitality context...

[Kennedy @ Oct 8th 2008 5:46AM]

That sounds like it would be quite good..

[Cybergypsy @ Oct 8th 2008 7:04AM]

Wonder the cost of those tables?

[Josh @ Oct 8th 2008 7:05AM]

Does it play Carbon Based Lifeforms albums whilst you look at the vibes?

[deanso @ Oct 8th 2008 7:25AM]

I've been to this restaurant twice now, once before it opened to the public. Really is a cool concept but seems to be an OHP showing the image and a track pad navigating around a cursor to select your food. Its cool - you can play Battleship with the person opposite you (though you need to hide where your ships are from them seeing!!!)...

Oh and the food is excellent!!! The sashimi salad and the pork are particularly good!!!

[torqueo @ Oct 8th 2008 8:02AM]

The future is here, and it's not an iPhone - it's a big-ass table.

(with um, food on it)

[Brian Lowry @ Oct 8th 2008 8:37AM]

Mmmm.... yummy!

[Kei @ Oct 8th 2008 9:30AM]

man I had that idea!
Ah well.

[Bjsfreaked @ Oct 8th 2008 10:01AM]

or a dr watson message.

This programme is about to close down cause i think your choosing the wrong thing.

[TIMMAH! @ Oct 8th 2008 11:40AM]

"Oh I'm sorry, you'll need to sit over there, your table's broken..."

[junk @ Oct 8th 2008 12:07PM]

Hello Uwink????

http://www.uwink.com/

[Uwink @ Oct 8th 2008 12:15PM]

Hello junk.

[Bishounen @ Oct 8th 2008 12:48PM]

MUST... RESIST... FLYING... TO... LONDON... TO ... GOATSE... THE... RESTAURANT....

GAH!!!

Ok, I'm better now. Whew!

In all seriousness, how long do you think it will take for someone to break into the restaurant's system and replace all the backgrounds with porn or, scat, or other nasty pics?

[Ariel @ Oct 8th 2008 1:03PM]

So.... when you spill your drink you have to pay $5000?

I can tell you I sure as heck wouldn't want to eat on a monitor. Aside from the fact that a light source below my plate would be darn annoying, it's totally impractical.

And those designs are ugly!

[Sporkinum @ Oct 8th 2008 4:09PM]

I look forward to Gordon Ramsay featuring this place on Kitchen Nightmares. He'll cut the menu, get sick in the kitchen, and tell the owner he has no bollocks.

[kL @ Oct 8th 2008 4:29PM]

Here's an interesting review:
http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/101237/Inamo

[John @ Oct 8th 2008 10:09PM]

Colorful displays for bland food.