Over the past several years, instant coffee machines have taken the java industry by storm and it’s easy to see why — the convenience a Nespresso or Keurig machine affords its owners is unparalleled.
But while pod coffee lovers the world over enjoy their standard-issue pod machines, a creative team by the name of Astonishing Studios decided to make their own — constructed almost entirely out of Legos. The so-called Lego Coffee Maker shows just how far you can take the popular building toy with enough imagination.
While its exterior and many of its moving parts are comprised of the popular construction toy, Astonishing Studios leaned on several DC motors and switches to power the intricately designed interior. What’s perhaps the most interesting feature is the fact the machine requires actual currency (in coin form) to produce a piping hot cup of fresh coffee.
After a coin is inserted, the machine’s interior sensors immediately begins preparing your cup off coffee — though it isn’t brewing it, per se. The machine dumps an instant coffee of choice — in this case, it’s Starbucks — into a cup underneath the device’s dispenser, funnels water from an interior water bottle into the cup, then lowers a heat coil into the concocted beverage to zap the liquid. Just like that, a fresh cup of instant coffee is ready for consumption.
An utterly incredible achievement in engineering, Astonishing Studios’ Lego Coffee Maker should no doubt satisfy the kid and coffee lover in everyone. If you’re feeling inspired, the team even makes build videos for many of its similar projects — made of Legos, of course — available for people to have their crack at building. Though they don’t share explicit build instructions, the videos feature enough relevant information that any clever creative type certainly wouldn’t have a tough time replicating any of the machines.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.