TOCA Social
Product: Various
Company: TOCA Social
TOCA, an international football/tech experience company, reached out to Design Reality to help develop some pivotal aspects of the world’s first arcade-style immersive football experience for their upcoming TOCA Social centres. Their vision being to combine a social dining setting with a fun, football-focused, technology-enabled, night-out experience.
Services
– Research & Development
– Industrial Design
– Prototyping
– Stress Testing
The Brief
Building on their own football pitching invention; TOCA wanted to develop an arcade-style football game where players could kick a ball at an interactive videogame wall. Having developed the bones of the system already, TOCA approached Design Reality to help with a number of practical design aspects of the project – such as automatic ball retrieval, screen development and camera protection. With a vision of bowling-meets-football, we got to work.
Usability
Part of what can make or break a good design is how easy it is to use.
While getting the ball to the player was already sorted, TOCA wanted a hassle-free way for used balls to be returned back to the pitching machine to minimise downtime for the players.
Knowing that the system would be built into custom venues, we were able to present a series of designs that used the environment to our advantage.
Designed to last
The screen itself was another aspect of the design which needed a novel, yet practical, design solution.
With a good kick, a football can travel over 60mph. Not only would the screen need to withstand a barrage of such impacts; but it’d need to sufficiently deaden the bounce-back of the balls, so as not to injure or interrupt the player or others attending.
Through meticulous research and testing we were able to select a suitable material and mounting system for the screen and frame that could prevent ball bounce-back, avoid tears and would also be suitable for the motion capturing projection.
Built for repair
With the ball pitching device being hidden behind the screen though; another aspect of the design had to incorporate access for maintenance. To maximise accessibility, whilst maintaining ultimate usability, we devised a unique system allowing for easy maintenance access. With the mechanics hidden from impact, testing showed improved resistance and a more robust system.
Get Social
Having launched in Summer 2021 across three central London venues, visit www.toca.social for more information and to book your party today.
Get in touch
If you need a Product Design Consultancy with Medical Device experience and ISO 13485 accreditation get in touch with our team.
