Project Nebula Mba'e'oka Tecnología MAP Michĩva

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Nebula Project is a device that incorporates a miniaturized Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) technology system for food preservation. It represents SAES's first Industrial Design project, aimed at implementing design-driven innovation methodologies within the company and exploring their applicability in laboratory workflows. Nebula utilizes pre-mixed capsules containing compressed gas, which can extract the existing internal atmosphere from a container and inject a specific gas composition.

Dimensions & Packaging

210 mm x 45 mm x 52 m

Tags

Nebula, MAP, FoodWaste, ScientificDesign, SAES

Production Technology

SAES specializes in advanced technologies and materials for niche sectors, including getter technologies for high and ultra-high vacuum, gas management, and advanced materials for functional compostable packaging. Nebula was developed by combining these three areas of expertise.
With MAP, the final pressure is slightly below atmospheric pressure, which offers significantly more design flexibility compared to high vacuum technology. This flexibility allows for the use of lightweight solutions without the need for reinforcement structures. Adopting these lightweight solutions brings numerous benefits, including reduced energy consumption and improved recyclability. Nebula's containers employ an innovative microcellular polypropylene (PP) molding technique, allowing for weight reductions of up to 20% while increasing tensile and impact properties by 30% compared to standard PP materials.

Design Challenge

Miniaturising MAP technology requires a paradigm shift and a major technological shift. As it was not possible to scale up the components, it was necessary to find alternative options that would achieve the same result with different kinematics. Initially, the team identified a solution based on a graphite carboniser capable of transforming oxygen into CO2 by separating argon using a membrane. The results were poor: the separation of the argon was more complex than expected and the injection of the gas into the container was too slow to be integrated into a common object. Inspired by the simplicity of compressed gas cylinders for inflating bicycle tyres, the idea arose to develop compressed gas capsules and study a business model for refilling, similar to that of some brands in the coffee pod world. The internal structure also being circular was structured on the idea of a helix design, in this context the fixing of the electronics and the development of a lithium-polymer battery capable of supporting the energy absorption of the pump in its peaks was an extremely complex development. The entire design was handled procedurally through the grasshopper software in order to be able to process and modify the system automatically during its design, in this context many of the elements were difficult to manage and required the development of custom tool set using script and complex logics.

Research

Nebula is a project developed within an experimental, multidisciplinary team at SAES, combining the expertise of several professionals including designers, engineers, chemists, physicists and strategists. The objective was to integrate some of the company's scientific clusters to develop the first consumer product, and produce a solution to one of the great modern social and technological problems: food waste, on which the company is already engaged on the technological front in the B2B sphere. The R&D process was carried out on several levels simultaneously: from laboratory tests to validate the technology, to external tests to assess the extent to which gases including CO2 impact bacterial proliferation, to qualitative and quantitative market research carried out on a sample of 10,000 people. Nebula was designed from the inside out, the design revolving around the study of layout and product architecture, with the dual objective of integrating the exchange pump and all the electrical and electronic elements without any gaps. The exchange pump enables two processes to be carried out in sequence: creating a low vacuum and transferring the compressed gas from the capsules inside the container, exploiting the pressure difference.
The technical-scientific research was supported from the early stages of development by the strategy team, cross-referencing the user journey and user experience with the possibilities offered by laboratory technologies, always pushing the project's purpose in a direction of real effectiveness. The project also served to validate a design pipeline that later became the standard for SAES's consumer innovation division called Design House.

Inspiration

The design of Nebula represents the synthesis of SAES's technical and scientific aesthetics. The cage-like structure draws inspiration from the architecture of the NextTorr pumps designed for extreme applications such as particle accelerators. The use of glass material accentuates the device's core, while the rest is concealed beneath a deep black. Nebula is a product inspired by scientific instruments, its design reflects a rational and analytical language commonly found in laboratories.

Project Duration

The project started in Milan in May 2019 and was presented at Cibus 2020 in Parma.

Operation Flow

Nebula can be operated by a rotational selector switch and is equipped with a display showing real-time operations. the device is loaded with a compressed gas capsule containing a specific mixture and can be attached to it's rigid container. Nebula replace the internal atmosphere with another one able to increase drastically the shelf life of food at home level.

Patents

Patented. 008154751. Saes Getters S.p.A. 01/09/2020.