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Award-winning industrial design and innovation consultancy Morrama reveals its first project in the Middle East: The Nesta Shisha, a safer alternative to the traditional hookah pipe. In partnership with Medad Technology in the UAE, Morrama’s iconic design brings the shisha pipe into the 21st century and reflects the cutting-edge technological innovation inside.

Medad Technology has invested US$50 million over the past four years to develop, manufacture, and test its ultrasound technology. The technology relies on aerosolizing pharma grade nicotine into a cool mist ensuring that no dangerous chemicals or heavy metals are present in the aerosol, and removing the dangers posed by inhaling traditional shisha as well as e-shisha. Medad Technology partnered with Morrama in 2021 to bring this vision to life and implement this technology across a range of U-Shisha products.

With a nod to the traditional silhouette of a traditional shisha pipe from one side, the Nesta U-Shisha design has a window that presents a seemingly solid gold chamber housing the technology. The top of the device opens to reveal a pod housing for the bespoke flavoured Nesta pods.

Whilst there is no requirement for a water vase as the mist doesn’t need cooling, keeping the bubbling experience associated with shisha smoking was key. However, the water is hidden on the Nesta U-Shisha adding to the magic of how the technology works.

The technological advancements don’t stop here. NESTA is an IoT device with Bluetooth connectivity to a dedicated mobile application which monitors the users’ nicotine intake, giving them a holistic view of their usage and smoking behavior.

With a battery designed to last up to eight hours, it is a truly wireless experience.

The new design has sustainability considerations built in, with the majority of the Nesta being made from extruded aluminium, enabling the reduction of plastic use where possible. The entire device is developed to be disassembled for repair or upgrade, which is particularly crucial for the hospitality industry. The product also offers the potential to cut the emissions that come from traditional shisha pipes, knowing that one shisha head produces 156g of CO2* whereas Nesta produces 0 CO2 emissions.

Jo Barnard, founder and creative director of Morrama, comments, “With over 100 million shisha smokers worldwide, we were thrilled to be appointed as the design partner by Medad Technology for this project. We have been working with visionary CTO, Professor Imad Lahoud and his dedicated team to transform his vision into reality. Whilst vapes have been widely promoted as a positive alternative to smoking tobacco, the heat from the coil causes heavy metals to be released into the vapour, causing many to question their true benefits.”

“The Nesta U-Shisha however uses ultrasonic vibrations to aerosolize pharma grade nicotine into cool mist, removing the need for heat entirely. With no smoke, no vapour, no heavy metals detected in the aerosol and no carbon monoxide emissions, the Nesta U-Shisha cuts the cancer risk from shisha smoking.”

Professor Imad Lahoud adds, “NESTA’s vision stems from recognizing the popularity and cultural relevance of shisha smoking in the region while addressing the huge negative impact it can have on people’s health but also on the environment. With NESTA, we want to provide users with a safe and enjoyable shisha smoking experience using pioneering ultrasound technology to eliminate the harm caused by heated tobacco. Thanks to Morrama’s design and guidance we are excited to launch a completely unique product that satisfies the needs of our customers and allows us to expand our market base outside the UAE.”

Currently in the final stages of development, the company is in the process of acquiring registration under both the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), along with the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA).

Morrama and Medad Technology are also working on the development of a portable and more compact version of Nesha U-Shisha that will launch at the same time.