Have you seen the e-ink coffee cup?
Coffee mugs can come in all different shapes and sizes and, probably, we each have our favourite that takes a hammering on a daily basis – whether at home or in the office.
Here at Caffe Society, we know just how an important a role that cups can play in the coffee industry.
So, it transpires, does a Finnish coffee roasting company and advertising agency out of Helsinki who have teamed up and invested a fair amount of money we imagine to create something new and unique.
It’s a coffee container that can, in theory, be whatever you want it to be.
Every time the Muki is filled with a jolt of the black stuff, a screen flickers on, displaying an image or a block of text that can be determined by the coffee drinker via the use of a mobile application. There is no need for batteries or charging; the mug utilises a thermoelectric generator housed in its base that utilises the heat from your beverage to power up the screen and its wireless Bluetooth receiver.
A photo of the children, your partner, even a nice (black and white) landscape, or even an inspirational quote – maybe even some clever branding if you don’t want to hand over autonomy; anything you wish could be pictured alongside your coffee to provide a double pick-me-up to get you on the right path for the day ahead.
The technology used in the Muki might not be new – it is basically the same screen that is utilised by the vast majority of e-readers on the market at the moment – but combining it with a coffee cup is new, and it opens up a whole exciting world of possibilities. The talk at the moment is all about pictures and text, but how long will it be until books, newspapers and our favourite websites start appearing on our coffee cups?
Now that is a time to look forward to!