Let The Drink Talk

[Geoff]

Interactive beer mat will order your refill

By Kate Connolly in Berlin

30/09/2005

German students determined not to waste valuable drinking time yesterday unveiled an invention intended to ensure they need never be left awaiting a refill.

The interactive beer mat, devised by two technology students, uses weight and motion sensors to detect whether a glass is almost empty. The device, which fits under a traditional cardboard mat, sends radio signals to a computer at the bar to alert staff that the customer is awaiting a top up.

The inventors, Matthias Hahnen and Robert Doerr, both 21, who appropriately came up with the idea over a beer, said their "smart mat" can also be effective as a voting device in pub games.

Sensors in the mat's baseplate would react to different movements.

The inventors said sports bars had shown a particular interest in the device.

"It is dishwasher proof and comes with a recharger. It's ready to go on the market within two or three months," said Professor Andreas Butz, 38, who teaches human computer interaction at Saarland University and oversaw the students' project.

Each mat costs about £50 to make, but the price could be reduced to a tenth of that once they are produced in bulk.

from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/30/wmat30.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/09/30/ixworld.html

[talisker25]

[Geoff]

I'm sure it could accomodate :D