January 22-2016
Tired of having that mug of coffee or tea turn luke warm while you deal with a project? Well, so was Amir Faraji, an Iranian scientist who teaches at RMIT University of Australia.
So, he has invented just what you need—a mug that will keep your cup of java or tea or cocoa at the temperature you choose.
On top of that, his mug can also be used as a cell phone charger.
Faraji and his team is now trying to raise the $285,000 in capital they need via Kickstarter and hope to have the mug—called Muggino—in production late this year.
The science is nothing new, Faraji acknowledges. All he did was apply something NASA developed a half century ago to generate power for spacecraft.
The key is that the heat in your hot drink is energy. As your drink cools after you pour it, the mug stores that heat energy and uses it to warm the drink when it dips below the temperature you choose.
The mug is told the desirable temperature through a specific cellphone application and can keep the beverage at the chosen temperature for up to two hours.
Faraji is a specialist in solar thermoelectric technology. In addition to teaching at RMIT University, he is also CEO of Otared, the company formed to produce the mug commercially.