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'Smart' Mug Maintains Perfect Temperature For Your Drink

by Caleb Johnson on August 21, 2009 at 04:15 PM

A self-regulating coffee mug may have been a pipe dream for warm beverage drinkers everywhere, but according to the Telegraph, German scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) have created a 'smart' mug that keeps drinks, hot or cold, at the ideal temperature.

The interior of the porcelain mug is filled with a waxy substance called phase change material (PCM), which is also used in houses to store warmth and release it at night. So, when you fill the mug with coffee, it melts the PCM stored inside the walls of the mug. The liquid PCM absorbs enough heat to keep the drink at an optimal temperature, which is right 136 degrees Fahrenheit for coffee. It works for cold drinks, too -- keeping beer at a frosty 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Researcher Herbert Sedlbauer told The Telegraph, "Under ideal circumstances, the optimal temperature can be maintained for 20-30 minutes."


You won't find a mug with this technology on the shelf, just yet. There's no word from the IBP about cost or availability, but with winter coming up, let's hope it's soon. [From: The Telegraph]

Tags: beer, coffee, drinking, germany, mug, science, temperature, top

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