People across cultures connect over coffee. It is often the catalyst that brings people together. But in America, coffee tends to be “on the go” and consumed alone. But what if you still wanted to enjoy the company of another while “on the go”? How can we experience the presence of another in the ritual of coffee drinking without them physically being there?

Cafe au Connexion is  a pair of coffee cups that allow the users to be aware of each other’s presence while still maintaining the quiet of being by yourself.

The design is a pair of digitally connected coffee cups that allow the users to see touch interaction the other person is having with the cup. This creates the illusion that the other user is there without physically being present.

Touch input and outputs:

1. Blowing into one cup causes ripples in the other cup.

2. Touching the body of one cup causes a light imprint on the other cup.

The users become aware of each other, and in effect, are enjoying  a cup of coffee together.

INSPIRATION

Drinking coffee is deeply rooted in many cultures as a drink to socialize over, as a routine that brings comfort, as a casual suggestion that connects people. The act of sitting down and drinking a cup of coffee with someone creates a little bubble; it changes the atmosphere and makes the participants both more aware of each other and integrated into their environment in a different way.

IDEA

A coffee cup that can connect two remote people, and stimulate their presence in the physical world though they may be miles apart. This cup is an attempt to create that atmosphere of being distinctly aware of the other person with whom you’re sharing a drink with while maintaining the peaceful cozy atmosphere of sitting by yourself (this cup is not supposed to distract you but almost blend into the background).

METHOD/HOW IT WORKS BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE

The physical cup is the vehicle of communication.

1. The sounds of the atmosphere of where one person is sitting will cause zen ripples in the coffee cup of the other person, so by looking at the ripples in the cup, each person can be slightly immersed in the world of the other (ie is the other person in a busy cafe with lots of din? The ripples will be more rapid and larger. Is the person sitting in a quiet peaceful garden? The ripples in the other person’s cup will be almost still.
2. Whenever one person touches their cup, their body marks will appear on the other person’s cup for the time frame which it happens. Ie lip marks and hand prints will appear and disappear according to the time/placement of the other person’s movement.
3. There will be a mark on the innerside of the cup that shows the level of the drink of the other person
4. The cup could also be held and feel the other person’s heartbeat through the cup

IDEA EXPANSION

People on the go can still experience a calmer and deeper connection with other people who also grab their coffee on the go.

1. Feel the heartbeat of the other person
2. Their thermos will light up whenever they pass by someone else who is carrying a similar cup, so that they can look through the crowd and see them

HOW CAN IT BE MADE?

• Microphone, pressure sensors, and pulse readers transmit information via wifi to another cup. The results are then expressed through a vibration-maker (for the ripples), heat creater, lights, and haptic modules

I am a Junior undergraduate, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Product Design. I enjoy rapid prototyping and all the mechE processes behind that. For high school, I went to an arts charter school where I was part of the Visual Arts Conservatory -and I still create painting pieces for commissions. I am skilled in most shop machines, from CNC to hand tools, 3D modeling tools, and a range of 2D visual arts mediums.

juliarue@mit.edu