NFC technology makes food arrive faster

We’ve all heard of near field communication technology being used to make mobile payments, but a student from the University of Sydney has taken it one step further.

Stephen Davis, of tech start-up S_Digital, has integrated transactional technology into tables at restaurants so that customers can quickly and easily order their food.

Special stickers are placed on the table and people can use their devices to tap them, pull up a menu on the screen, place an order and make a payment – without ever having to move.

“Before starting the project, it was my understanding that this technology was generally misunderstood,” Davis says.

“So I set out to seek a method of portraying NFC in a fun, childish manner so it would be easily understood by everyone.”

The project was created as part of ongoing research on mobile payments, in conjunction with the University of Sydney and digital agencies Mojo and Amnesia Razorfish.

As mobile payments become increasingly prevalent among mainstream society, what other ideas might resonate with time-poor consumers?