When IKEA teams up with the Copenhagen School Of Interaction Design, the results are sure to be amazing, and even that’s an understatement. A group of students had two weeks to come up with an idea to prove that everyday objects could be used to promote a more sustainable way of living in urban areas. And one of the ideas was of course, nothing short of incredible.
Imagine if the heat from your coffee cup could be reused to power your phone’s battery. Well, these students did use their imagination to dream up such a scenario. They titled their project “Heat Harvest” and created a product that does exactly as the title suggests, harvests and repurposes heat as a power source.
The pair designed a table that uses thermal electricity to transfer heat from its surface to other items. So, heat from your coffee up could be used to charge your phone. Genius, isn’t it? I’d surely say so!
Sergey Komardenkov and Vihanga Gore are the masterminds behind the invention. “It’s not just your house, but it’s a neighborhood and the whole world. If all of us could save the heat which is generated in our everyday objects and then turn it into electricity, we will save our money, yet do very good things,” Gore said of their design when interviewed for a video about the project. And she couldn’t be more right.
Right now, this is just a mock-design created for the challenge, but I think I speak for all of us when I say I’d definitely shop Heat Harvest products if and when they are sold at IKEA. It’s just another excuse to go on the day-long shopping trip that is IKEA, as if the meatballs weren’t reason enough.
Check out this video to learn more about the design project, and get ready for the way of the future— letting your coffee charge your phone.
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