91ºÚÁÏÍø

2025 | Professional

French Design Awards Gold Winner

Numa: Immersive Projection System for Confined Spaces

Entrant Company

QIMU Design

Category

Conceptual Design - Products

Client's Name

Country / Region

United States

Numa is a conceptual digital product designed to enhance elevator interiors through emotionally responsive projection. Positioned at the intersection of spatial computing and therapeutic product design, Numa introduces an intelligent projection system that transforms confined vertical spaces into adaptive environments focused on emotional comfort.
Developed in response to claustrophobic anxiety, the product is grounded in a user study involving 317 participants, where over 80 percent reported distress or discomfort in elevators. These reactions are linked to trauma-related stress responses, reduced control, and activation of the autonomic nervous system. Numa addresses these triggers by integrating principles of exposure therapy, aesthetic psychology, and ambient interaction.
It offers two operational modes that function seamlessly under both normal and power-failure conditions. Daily Mode presents ambient scenes along the upper portion of the cabin walls. Visuals such as forest canopies, slow-moving underwater forms, or stars in motion are calibrated to guide breath and reduce sensory tension. Emergency Mode is triggered by elevator malfunctions or acute user stress. In this mode, the projection expands to the entire interior, offering full-cabin visual immersion to support emotional regulation and reduce panic.
The system features three visual environments that are calibrated to align with autonomic responses and personal anxiety patterns: Forest, Underwater, and Starscape. Forest creates a sensation of organic enclosure, Underwater provides low-frequency motion for rhythm and grounding, and Starscape supports stillness and gentle dissociation.
Technically, Numa combines spatial scanning with projection mapping, using fixed-position markers to maintain visual clarity across different elevator models. The device is silent, requires no personal device or login, and is activated by a simple user gesture or button interface.
Numa reframes elevator space as a site of care rather than confinement. It integrates psychological well-being into the design of public infrastructure and envisions how future technologies can promote mental resilience in everyday life. By merging therapeutic intent with spatial experience, Numa acts as a micro-brand of emotional safety and offers a gentle intervention where it is most needed.

Credits

Creative Technologist
Shimin Gu
Product Lead
Xuancheng Li
Environment Artist/Researcher
Yixuan Huang
More Gold Winners
Interior
2025
French Design Awards - Xinchang Tianmu Electrician Volunteer Service Center

Entrant Company

Sharing(Zhejiang)Visual Digital Technologies Co.,Ltd

Category

Interior Design - Service Centre

Interior
2025
French Design Awards - Wu Yue

Entrant Company

Guang Assist Design

Category

Interior Design - Residential 

Conceptual
2025
French Design Awards - 2023 Taiwan Creative Craft Design Contest: Dream of CraftThe

Entrant Company

Hsinchu County Cultural Foundation

Category

Conceptual Design - New Category: Creative Competitions and Cultural Promotion

Architectural
2025
French Design Awards - THE PEAK

Entrant Company

zehua zhang

Category

Architectural Design - Cultural