Coffee

When Seattle-based start-up, Zipwhip, wanted to show off its new cloud texting platform, it needed a way to demonstrate just how useful it could be. Most companies might talk data points, like how fast its platform broadcasts or how its product offers a service no one else does. Instead, Zipwhip got a little creative and built the "Textspresso" coffee maker, a machine that accepts and brews specialty coffee orders via text message so the beverage is ready once a person arrives to pick it up.  Read More

Imagine the convenience of brewing a creamy, steaming cup of espresso right in your car and you'll get a sense for the impetus behind the latest creation from Handpresso. The company has added to its range of mobile espresso machines with the Handpresso Auto, a well-designed in-car gadget which is designed to turn just about anyone into a mobile barista.  Read More

While our DNA is determined at conception, researchers reporting in the March issue of Cell Metabolism, say that we can beneficially alter our DNA molecules in a matter of minutes, simply by exercising. Furthermore, caffeine may also offer similar effects.  Read More

Last year we looked at a universal robotic gripper, which was made by filling an elastic membrane with coffee grounds. The versatile gripper, which is attached to a robotic arm, was able to pick up a wide variety of objects, including a coin or raw egg, which are notoriously difficult for robotic grippers modeled after the human hand to deal with. Now the universal jamming gripper's developers have given it the ability to "shoot" objects some distance, which could enable it to sort objects into different bins, dispose of trash, or maybe even try out for the NBA.  Read More

Hopefully, you’re not just throwing your used coffee grounds in the garbage ... are you? Not only are they compostable, but they can also be used in robot hands, biofuel engines for cars, warm sports clothing, and as printer ink. Now, it turns out that they have yet another use – a scientist from The City College of New York has discovered that they’re good at soaking up stinky sewer gas.  Read More

On the eve of Valentine's Day, here are some gift ideas that appeal to the geek at heart - everything from hand warmers to use while you type to jewellery made from recycled computer power buttons ... and if you happen to be a single girl this Valentine's day, the Girl's Guide to Dating a Geek might be able to give you a few tips for turning that around.  Read More

They clearly like a coffee over at Californian sports clothing company Virus. While its employees might order a mocha latte, the company is interested in the grinds. Virus' StayWarm line uses what it calls Coffee Char, or coffee charcoal in the construction of the fabric. The grounds are recycled and processed into a natural fiber to produce a comfortable base layer fabric that traps heat close to the skin.  Read More

Coffee lovers Chris Mclean (design engineer) and Bruce Constantine (engineer/ entrepreneur) have spent the last two years developing a precision coffee brewer dubbed Espro Press. The product is similar to classical french presses, however Espro Press features a two-stage micro-filter that reportedly preserves coffee flavors and prevents sediments or muddiness in the coffee.  Read More

Wouldn't it be cool if, along with your flying car and your robot butler, you had a tap in your kitchen that dispensed hot beverages? You'd just shuffle into the kitchen in the morning, and grab a cappuccino in the same way that you'd usually get a glass of water from the tap in the sink - that said, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to put your mouth right up to the coffee tap. Anyhow, such a thing does indeed now exist, and it's called the Top Brewer.  Read More