One of our dear friends and former Pinch intern, Louise Knoppert, debuted her latest product concept at Dutch Design Week. Besides the beautiful design, PROEF is smart and thoughtful. And we would expect nothing less from Louise, a self-proclaimed ambitious enthusiastic perfectionist studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven in The Netherlands.
As a result, she has been nominated for a Better Award and is going to an expo about health-care in Taiwan to expose more of the world to PROEF.
Below is Louise’s thesis of PROEF:
Every year, around 5000 people in the Netherlands have a tube installed in their stomachs permanently for tube feeding. All food is being pumped into their stomach directly. Many of these people are capable of living regular lives like us, except they are not allowed to eat or drink ever again.
During my research I found that there are more groups of people who have difficulties eating and drinking. These are people suffering from ALS, dementia, terminal illnesses, neurological disease, cancer or children who have troubles with food.
I can’t imagine life without food and drinks, and missing out on all the social events that revolve around it. I want to give these people something back, something to experience, something to share. I want to invite them to the dinner table again.
With the set of tools I developed you can create a new food experience. The set includes a variety of sensations, flavors, feelings, movements, actions, etc. The flavors are related to particular cuisines or events so people can relate properly to what others around them are having.
VAPOR | This piece uses ultrasonic/atomizer technology to create smoke from a flavorful liquid. The rings around the top give a pleasant feeling of texture on the lips.
TINGLE | This piece sprinkles tiny shunks on your tongue which pop, melt and tingle and spread the flavor.
PINCH | A pinch of powder that melts on your tongue.
SPONGE | This piece sucks up a liquid that can be squeezed out by using your mouth. The sponge feels soft, and the liquid inside is juicy.
FOAM | This piece must be shaken to create foam on the liquid inside. The flexibility makes sure you can squeeze out the foam, which will then make its way onto the textured surface. In the mouth, the foam reveals a flavor burst and it leaves a tingly sensation and sound in the mouth when it goes away.
ICE | With this piece you can create a tiny layer of ice around the shape. Between the shape and the cap, which functions as a mould, is a flavorful liquid. After freezing you can take off the cap and enjoy the cold sensation with flavor and texture.
ROLL | With this piece you can roll the flavor onto your tongue and lips, providing a massage and putting the flavors directly onto the taste buds at the same time.
DIP | This flexible piece is for dipping. After dipping it into a paste you can either lick it or brush it onto your tongue. The flexible arches make for a pleasant texture, and allow for playing around with.
MIST | Squeezing this piece will spray mist from it. The vapor leaves a pleasant sensation in your mouth, and flavor of course.

9 Comments
Kelly Teague on 11.27.2014 at 11:15 AM
Is PROEF available for purchase yet? And if so, where? My son has a GI disease & can only eat 4 foods. Many children with this disease are tube-fed. I’d love to share this with our support group in Michigan, USA. Thank you!
Kelly Teague
TJ on 12.08.2014 at 20:15 PM
Hi Kelly, Thank you for reaching out. As you know, there are many in need of a product like PROEF. This product is still in development, and not available for purchase….yet. We are all hopeful that this will soon change.
If you contact designer directly at http://louiseknoppert.com/, she can keep you up to date on the progress of PROEF. I know she is going to a health conference in TAIWAN in the new year. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Best regards, TJ
Kishori De on 11.30.2014 at 20:09 PM
Great to see these thought provoking conceptual tools. As a designer and someone who lives with a TMJ disorder, I empathize with the much needed use case. Is it still in initial prototype stages? Look forward to hear user’s reactions and experiences after using the tools. Any way I could get to experience the tools first hand?
TJ on 12.08.2014 at 20:18 PM
The product is still in development, so I am not sure about samples. Please feel free to contact designer directly at http://louiseknoppert.com for more information on the products progress into the market.
Best regards,
TJ
Sarah on 12.16.2014 at 19:49 PM
This sounds like a wonderful invention to help improve the quality of life of many patients. I am writing as a concerned practicing speech-language pathologist who specializes in swallowing impairments (dysphagia). I strongly encourage patients to utilize this under the care of a health professional. Sometimes people are NPO because their swallow musculature don’t work appropriately and even the tiniest mist of a substance can be aspirated into the lungs and cause a serious lung infection (aspiration pneumonia). Best of luck and hopefully under supervision this can change the lives of many!
Dutchies Hermanus on 01.02.2015 at 08:24 AM
What a wonderful, wonderful design. We are so proud of the innovative Dutch people. Both food and people with disabilities are close to our hearts so this is an especially appealing invention.
Jak on 01.16.2015 at 07:40 AM
Great to see these thought provoking conceptual tools. As a designer and someone who lives with a TMJ disorder
Charlotte on 06.01.2015 at 00:43 AM
I hope the day will come when Americans wake up to the realities of genetically processed, chemically produced ‘foods’ and endocrine destroying ‘vaccinations’ that are creating these issues. For all of our ‘progress’, our society has never been more sick.
Sheila ramsdale on 11.13.2018 at 18:02 PM
I really really am interested in these feedback Ng utensils as my son is peg fed but we give her m tastes of things occasionally. This would be ideal. Are they on the market now?
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