Meet an NFC Innovator: KUANTOM

Geoffrey Martins is an IoT lover by heart and CTO of Kuantom, which was founded in 2015 with the ambition of revolutionizing drinking trends.

Geoffrey’s day always begins with preparing “mocktails” (Non-alcohol drinks) for his team ­– so he ensures they start the new day at their very best. As part of that process, he checks the NFC performance of the flexible, printed circuit board found within his Orkestra machine. This is something Geoffrey has developed himself. It is an electronic card featuring an NFC antenna with multiplexing so that he can read, in real time the information about each of the ingredients plugged into the machine. His mechanical team even went so far as to challenge him further, by asking him to design the printed circuit board on the company’s new and flexible technology.

As a result, Geoffrey and his Kuantom team won first prize in the “IDFood 2018” competition, an award that recognizes companies for their food and beverage innovations.

NXP: Who is Kuantom and how did you come up with your business idea?

Kuantom is a French startup, specialized in developing connected solutions, which will guide the tourism and beverage industries through their digital transformations.

After three years of research and development, Kuantom has developed Orkestra, which enables the creation of premium quality cocktails, comparable to the ones of skilled mixologists. We wanted to respond to a strong growth in demand for cocktails by reinventing consumption patterns, and by bringing the mixologist’s expertise to where it has been absent. Our ambition was to become the world’s first platform and digital provider of cocktails.

NXP: How does Orkestra work and what role does NFC play?

To enjoy a cocktail, the following three components are necessary:

First, we need a connected mixologist (Orkestra), which can gauge, emulsify and precisely measure each available ingredient while preparing a cocktail. Secondly, we need intelligent pods (smart bottles), which are identifiable via NFC TAGs. The bottles are rechargeable and identify the type and origin of the ingredients, expiration date and remaining volume. Finally, we need a digital menu that selects and recommends personalized recipes based on the user’s preferences. To create variety, a community of mixologists will regularly upload new sophisticated recipes, which can consist of up to six ingredients.

NXP: What are you currently working on now and how will NFC help in in future projects?

We are currently in the production phase to deliver our first customers. In the future, we will integrate NFC into our packaging chain to optimize the logistics from our factory to the end customer.

NXP: From your personal point of view, which NFC applications should be part of the smart home of the future?

From a general point of view, food or beverages could be connected to the home and scanned by a smartphone to automate new orders or to send notifications about products that are out of date.

NXP: Finally, what do you think has been the most important technological invention in human history?

For me, the most important invention was the transistor in the 1940s, which later made it possible to design the first computers.

NXP: Many thanks for the interview and good luck on your further way!