Technology companies have a habit of solving problems we didn’t know existed. Paper maps were working just fine until apps came along. And now look at us. We can hardly find the way home when our phone is dead.
Enter Lyd, a battery-powered bottle that is something like a sippy cup for adults. If you’re the type of grownup who constantly spills drinks on yourself, Lyd may be perfect for you. If you aren’t, the high-tech container might strike you as a bit of a gimmick.
Lyd’s no-spill solution is a specialized, well, lid that uses an algorithm to detect when your lips are on the bottle.
For Lyd CEO Fredrik Krafft, the inspiration for his product came from a moment of clarity.
“I remember the moment very clearly,” he told Digital Trends. “I was holding a vacuum bottle and was thinking [about] how the bottle should work. It came to me that it should work just like when you drink from a glass.” In other words, he wanted a bottle that could be drunk from all sides.
Krafft’s vision got momentarily derailed when he started as head of a transportation company, but last summer he put his effort back into the project and set out to finish Lyd. He’s now taken to Kickstarter to fund the no-spill solution. At the time this article was published, the company had raised about half of its $26,300 goal with a month left to go.
The bottle now contains a 360-degree lid for ultimate ease of access and a vacuum flask designed to keep hot beverage hot and cold drinks cold. Krafft wouldn’t say exactly how the algorithm knows whether it’s your lips on not, say, your dog’s tongue trying to sneak a taste. And, no, it isn’t personalized to just one user, but Lyd can be set up to pour when you place your finger on the sensor. Battery life ranges from two and four weeks, and charges in four hours.
One thing is for sure, we have an obsession for “disposable” plastics and it’s causing chaos for the natural world. We approve of any way you can cut back on your plastic water bottle usage whether it’s with a Lyd or a classic canteen.
Early birds can claim their own Lyd via Kickstarter for $39. The company says they’ll retail at $69. As always, we offer a disclaimer for all crowdfunded projects.