Nedbank wanted to repurposing some old materials - decommissioned ATMs to be precise. With the help of M&C Saatchi Abel, they came up with the idea to take unused, self-service terminals and transform them into works of wonder. With our help, it became more than just an idea.
An old Nedbank ATM ready to be refurbished at Design Indaba 2016.
We added a little creativity to the wonder of invention and built 3 prototypes which could be of great use to communities across the country. But we didn’t build them in labs or studios, oh no. Our team worked on a stage at Design Indaba 2016 for 3 days, for all to see. In a spectacular display of innovation theatre, we showed off the hacking and making of our prototypes in front of the entire creative industry.
The Brand Foundry team working on site at Design Indaba 2016.
With the crowd watching on, we created a breathalyzer, which used a straw connected to a blood alcohol sensor. A readout on the screen showed the user’s level of, well, inebriation. Finally, a thermal printer printed a slip with the blood alcohol level, along with a handy Uber voucher for those over the legal limit.
In addition to this, we also built a community movie projector, called Nedflix (get it?), which used the reprogrammed ATM keys for selecting and controlling videos which were projected out the back of the ATM. Nifty.
We also installed vintage arcade classics, Pacman and Space Invaders, onto the ATM which provided some good old-fashioned fun.
This project challenged the 2016 Design Indaba delegates to submit their own ideas for repurposed ATMs with a social twist. We’re not sure if it was our technical wizardry, or the spectacular prize that inspired our audience, but the weird and wonderful entries were rolling in.