Gone are the days of heating an entire kettle of water for one warm cup of tea. Dutch Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Nils Chudy has created Miito, a mobile heating tool that warms liquids directly in their containers, eliminating the need to boil excess amounts of water (and unnecessarily waste energy).
Chundy was inspired to design Miito after studying the energy wasting-habits of electric kettle users. He explains:
“I wondered why all kettles look so similar. I quickly noticed that they not only look bad but they are also wastefully designed. The minimum fill line of the majority of kettles is at approximately 500ml. This means that if you want one cup of tea (250ml) you waste 50% of the hot water, which means you waste 50% of the energy.”
With Miito, a filled teapot can be placed on an induction base with a metal rod immersed in the water. The induction base heads the rod, which warms the water in the pot (watch how it works).
Miito’s user interaction is meant to be as intuitive as possible. Inspired by the heating tools for industrial metalworking, Chundy designed Miito without buttons. Once the rod is removed from its base, it enters “standby” mode, and only turns onto full heat when immersed in a liquid. When the liquid boils, the rod returns to standby. Miito can be used for almost any liquid, including milk, soup, and coffee. And its cylindrical shape allows for easy cleanup.
Miito is vastly more efficient than traditional kettles, only using as much energy and water as needed for immediate consumption. And unlike traditional kettles, Miito doesn’t include any limestone parts, which means it eliminates calcification and improves the product’s lifespan.
Dezeen reports that Miito currently exists as separate visual and technical prototypes; a working model is in development. The product is the Dutch winner of the James Dyson Award 2014 and is nominated for its international prize.
