Table heats food with smartphones, so diners can’t use them
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IKEA Taiwan has produced a cleverly designed table, which requires diners to sacrifice their smartphones in order to heat up their food.
The proliferation of smartphones at the dinner table is robbing many people of quality time with their friends and family. We have already seen Dolmio Australia create a covert off-switch, hidden inside a pepper grinder, as part of a marketing campaign. Now, IKEA Taiwan is tackling the same problem with a cleverly designed table, which requires diners to sacrifice their phones in order to heat up their food.
The table features a heating component, which rises up from the center. On the heating component, a pot is placed with food inside. The component will only turn on if the diners put their phones in the space underneath, and their food will only heat up enough if everyone hands over their phones. As a result, diners are giving attention to their companions, instead of their devices.
How else could smartphones be harnessed in a way that enhances social interaction?