Industrial Design
Reviving the art of tea-making with an IoT tea maker
This project was a product of reviving the art of tea making, while incorporating today’s technological advancements.
Our concept was creating a functional tea maker, and we decided that the designed appliance would also serve as an IoT device. After some serious brainstorming and experiment, the design was finalized. Trompe was categorized into 5 vertical components and 4 configurations. It would operate with a TouchBand, which also connected Trompe to computers, enabling it to use a notification system to alert you when your drink was ready. Trompe was designed to be convenient, while also enabling people to view the process of tea making.
The product should:
History depicts that the existence of tea has been around since the Shang Dynasty in the Yunnan province of China, roughly 3200 years ago. Overtime, tea has evolved from being a medicinal drink to a social drink, adopted by cultures across the world. From the Chinese using herbs to create medicinal drinks, to the British creating social parties, the history of tea has been beautiful indeed. In some cultures, tea is part of special demonstrations and performances, such as the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Wabi Sabi. The countries ranging in the South East Asian complex of the world such as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, the populace are avid drinkers of a form of tea known as Chai. Though the Western countries prefer coffee over tea itself, in this fast evolving world, tea is coming back for another round.
When we talk about tea, we mostly consider the sensational aspect of it. From the taste to its calming smell, the soothing drink has a tendency to pierce the hearts of even the most picky drinkers. Yet, the process of it is much too simple. Due to the availability of different tea leaves available in a variety of teabags by a multitude of companies, the making itself has been diminished.
From the patient waiting, allotting the right quantity of water, letting the leaves steep, to even the process of pouring, tea making was considered an elegant, mesmerizing art. However, the art is now slowly being denounced in many parts of the world, due to the ease provided by smart appliances.
Roughly around 3 years ago, during a round of heartily making tea, we decided we wanted to explore and enhance the tea making experience using smart appliances.
With the concept of creating a functional tea maker specifically for small office setups, it was decided that the designed appliance would also serve as an IoT device. It was at that point in time that Trompe was conceived as an idea.
IoT, short for Internet of Things, is a system of interrelated devices that can be of mechanical or digital output that are provided with unique identifiers, known as UIDs. The UIDs have the ability to connect and share data over a network without the requirement of human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The IOT is where smart living appliances share all their outputs with one another to make the lives of its users more efficient.
Once it was settled that an IOT would be used, there was a preconceived idea where it was decided that we would generate an enhanced experience revolving around the interaction with the device. The experience would be both visual and tactile, which would help the device turn the now unceremonious act of drinking tea, into a group/individual activity.
As we worked upon the product, we slowly turned to realize that our ideas were aiming for things at a more complex level. Seeing this as a problem, we created a baseline for ourselves. The product in question must have ease of use. As tea is not just a social drink, it is also one of the most popular hot beverages across the globe. Knowing that, there was no sense in creating a product that would only serve entertainment purposes.
So while providing a visual sense of entertainment for its users, we provided and designed the product to have a complete experience, in terms of functionality.
After months of brainstorming, prototyping and lots of 3D modelling, we settled with a design that spoke best to us. So, let’s discuss the nitty gritty of it.
For our overall design of the product, we opted for curved surfaces with a rotary motion. By doing so, the visuals achieved were the most unique by our standards. By adding a secondary action, such as motion, a soothing asymmetric clockwork motion was generated that appealed to the eye. For the product itself, we chose a five-fold ideology running on four different configurations. The division of the five vertical compartments was as follows;
The four configurations that we chose are based on 1-2-2-5 combinations. By combining any two, three, four or all combinations (with the minimum being two), the product is able to create tea for upto ten people at a type, which is great for small setups. The configuration of the chambers however, are composed such that the amount of leaf and water required to create tea is specific, allowing for a lower amount of waste. In our research we came across a study that stated that the amount of boiled water that is wasted across the globe for tea can be used to power the entirety of Britain for an entire day! Using that as a perspective, we considered the aspect of sustainability quite a bit.
Okay, let’s talk about how the product works. The user must first interact with the TouchBand. There they must select the amount of cups required and the type of tea. Water is filled into the top most chamber, where the rotation begins. As the water heats in its chamber, rising steam is dispensed through three nozzles integrated within the top band itself. Due to the rotation, the steam is dispensed in a swirling fashion which by our estimates rises in its helix fashion for about a foot.
With the type of tea selected, the heated water is now slowly dispensed through the middle band. The middle band acts as a tray with four compartments. Each tray holds the leaves of a specific type of tea which is preferential to its user. Soon after, the lower rotation begins in an asymmetric format. After crossing its second threshold, the water now enters the secondary chamber. The tea leaves are then also dropped within. The rotation of the secondary chamber allows the water to steep within while also being gently stirred. As the colouration of the tea rises, the rotation continues till the tea is ready.
From there, the user may then add a cup into the third (lowest) open chamber where the tea is dispensed accordingly. In theory, the product seems to be complicated, but in practice, it is sole and unique.
The rotation of the compartments allows for a rather comforting motion that one may view in anticipation for its tea. The rising helix of steam allows for an entertainment of sorts and for some, even a conversation starter.
Earlier, we only touched base with our TouchBand, however there is more to it than meets the eye. The TouchBand is where our IoT comes into play, which was super exciting for us. While being accessible through physical means, the TouchBand allows for the product to be connected over an IP address from your computer. This allows for easy access across rooms with a notification system that lets you know that your beverage is ready. Water can be stored in the top most container at all times as well, only requiring a refill after ten cups of tea. Water that is not used, can also be poured through the system as there is also an integrated self cleaning system involved.
The product allows for ease of creation of tea while being away from itself. But those who prefer to watch in anticipation for their reward of hard work, may also watch the calming rotary motion that is not only aesthetic but satisfying for the eye itself. Therefore, with Trompe’s creation, we were proud that we were able to harmoniously bring together the ease of making tea using smart appliances, and the sanctity of the age long traditions of tea.
