Tangible interaction · Motion & light · Prototyping
Mechanical Marvel
Information you can feel.
The project
How can an in-car interface communicate without demanding another look at a screen? Mechanical Marvel explores a more tangible relationship with information, combining a transparent display with a moving physical mechanism.
My contribution
Bentley Motors
October 2023–June 2025
At Bentley, I developed interaction concepts, movement and lighting behaviours, and prototypes for the Mechanical Marvel / EXP 15 concept work. I tested these experiences and coordinated with DCA during collaborative concept development.
01 / The experience
Two dimensions meet three.
DCA’s published case study describes a transparent touchscreen layered over moving, illuminated physical elements. Detailed screen content and more ambient physical signals can work together, with charge, direction and other vehicle information expressed through graphics, movement and light. The design ambition is to reduce the attention demanded by information—not simply to add another display.
02 / The process
From digital twin to working mechanism.
The collaborative development used a software-driven digital twin to explore motion, lighting and screen graphics before the physical demonstrator was complete. DCA then integrated mechanics, electronics and software in a working prototype, synchronising the screen with motors and LEDs. Connecting the prototype to its virtual counterpart supported real-time assessment and refinement.
03 / Design focus
Behaviour is part of the interface.
My contribution focused on how the experience behaves: interaction concepts, movement, lighting and prototype testing. The project brought interface design into the same conversation as physical form, mechanical constraints and the timing of feedback. The wider system was developed collaboratively by Bentley, DCA and project partners.
Watch / DCA project film
Full film & case study at DCA ↗Project context & further reading