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Technology Science

Intelligent Coasters Keep Beer Mugs Full 168

Posted by Zonk from the best-science-ever dept.
Dotnaught writes "CNN.com is reporting that two German students have invented a beer mat, or coaster, that uses sensor chips to determine when the beer glass it supports is empty and then radios the bartender for a refill. One of the students interviewed for the story suggested that lifting mugs from sensing mats could double as a voting system during karaoke competitions." From the article: "Unlike the usual cardboard beer mats, the invention is made out of plastic, which means it does not absorb water. Butz said that to get around the problem, ordinary cardboard mats could be placed on top of the plastic version to absorb liquid and display advertising. 'Cardboard beer mats could still sit on top of the plastic mat and there could still be advertising, and you would just exchange the cardboard mat when you wanted to change the advertising.'"
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Intelligent Coasters Keep Beer Mugs Full More

Intelligent Coasters Keep Beer Mugs Full

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  • Correct me if I'm wrong, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rasafras ( 637995 ) <tamas@pha[ ]u.edu ['.jh' in gap]> on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:25PM (#13691585) Homepage
    ...aren't these (or similar) invented by somebody every year? Yet they seem to still be few and far between... What I'm trying to say is, why should this one be any different?

  • woo-hoo! (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I'll drink to that!

    • Re:woo-hoo! (Score:3, Insightful)

      by reezle ( 239894 )
      When I first read the headline, I was thinking of intelligent roller-coasters that somehow managed to keep your beer mugs from spilling while you rode along.... "Now that's technology for you", I thought to myself.

  • Phew (Score:5, Funny)

    by SpiffyMarc ( 590301 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:25PM (#13691590)
    Thank god we can display advertising on the cardboard.
    • Isn't it bloody sad how in a short summary like the one on Slashdot advertising becomes a major facet of any new technology?

      What the hell kind of overhyped commercialized society have we become?
      • In fairness, advertising on beer mats or beer coasters now is nothing new. Don't the overwhelming majority of ordinary cardboard beer mats used in bars now already have beer logos or the bars' names on them? The system described in the article sounds to me like they're really just talking about taking existing beer mats and mating them to this sensor-laden base.

  • A beer gadget! (Score:5, Funny)

    by lheal ( 86013 ) <lheal1999@yah[ ]com ['oo.' in gap]> on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:27PM (#13691594) Journal
    My life is complete. Now I don't even have to speak to bartenders! I can just use my mouth for its One True Purpose, the ingestion of sufficient quantities of "liquid bread".

    Germany is where?
  • What the fuck ever happened to "Yo barkeep, lemme have a refill!"...of course, that assumes that you dont get kicked the fuck out with that remark...or leaving bad tips :)

  • Popular topic (Score:5, Informative)

    by Rew190 ( 138940 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:29PM (#13691609)
    Before a whole bunch of us scream "dupe," yes, we've seen this before, but this time it's the mugs that are phoning the bar. Let's see 'em!

    Another Beer Please [slashdot.org]

    Beer Stein Goes Hi Tech [slashdot.org]

  • I know this is hard to believe, but... (Score:5, Funny)

    by phlegmofdiscontent ( 459470 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:32PM (#13691618)
    Sometimes, I don't WANT another beer (usually when I can't afford another beer).

  • It can tell when a glass is empty... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rob_squared ( 821479 ) <rob@rob - s q u a red.com> on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:34PM (#13691624)
    ...but can it tell when you've had enough for the night?

  • mitsubishi (Score:2, Interesting)

    by scapermoya ( 769847 )
    These are almost exactly the same as the in-glass system I read about in a Mitsubishi R&D pdf a while back. linky [merl.com], google html conversion [66.102.7.104] it uses the table for power and data transmission, and detects liquid level through electric resistance measurements. neat stuff
  • if it was "free as in beer" :)

  • New from O'Reilly - Advanced Beer-mat Hacks (Score:3, Interesting)

    by LithiumX ( 717017 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:37PM (#13691640)
    So can these things be modified to handle pitchers? I rarely ever get individual beers, as I count my beers by the liter.

    Also, this brings us one step closer to humanities highest achievement to be...

    ...the robot barkeep, R2 style.
  • Sure there are karaoke competitions, nothing quite the caliber of what was portrayed in Duets with Lewis and Paltro. Competition does not follow traditional Japanese karaoke style, and is nothing more than a gimmick by desperate KJ's to attract customers

    First, let me tell folks who I am before my expertise in karaoke and tech stuff. I'm toqer, I broadcast my karaoke show over the internet via winampTV. I've won award after award for my shows in addition to having an article in the New York Times.

    http://ww [7bamboo.com]
    • Sorry about the reply to my comment, I accidentally enclosed some of my comment in tags. Guess it will teach me to use the preview button more.

      So back to what I was saying.

      Gimmicks like competition doesn't bring a karaoke crowd. I've seen too many shows over the years just go into failure because the KJ didn't know what they were doing, and tried relying on gimmicks like cash prizes and just bullshit.

      In Japanese karaoke shows, you clap for everyone no matter how bad. You don't heckle, boo or pass judgeme
    • Quite frankly, I think here in the U.S. - the main reason karaoke survives has nothing to do with whatever cash prizes or competitions are going on. Everyone I know who is into it is either a part-time musician who wants to practice their singing skills in public someplace, or more commonly, is an amateur who thinks he or she is a "pretty good singer" and wants to show off (after loosening up a bit with a couple beers).

      EG. I used to know a couple girls, one of their boyfriends, and another guy the boyfrie

  • Simpler Solution? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by The Amazing Fish Boy ( 863897 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:42PM (#13691658) Homepage Journal
    Why not just have buttons to push if a beer is needed. The button could be on the coaster, or just on the bar, or at the tables, or whatever. That would probably be cheaper. That also solves the problem of having finished one beer, but not wanting another. Not to mention people walking out of the bar with the coaster, etc.
    • The button idea is good, but i'd hate to see my bill when I pass out and my head lands right on the button.
    • Me and a few of my friends walked out of a bar one time with a table and four chairs .We returned them about 5 minutes after .. If it had possessed some Beer ordering wireless tech I imagine i would of kept it though .
    • > That also solves the problem of having finished one beer, but not wanting another.

      Pussy
  • How about a nanotech version of the "selfwinding watch" mechanisms, that charge the sensor/radios when the steins are lifted?

  • and... (Score:1, Insightful)

    by TheAdventurer ( 779556 )
    still no cure for cancer.
    • Liquid bread can prevent all deaseses if you drink a lot(till death ;) )
    • Are you suggesting that instead of inventing this, they should have gone to university to cure cancer? Have you? Hey, maybe they are even running some cancer fighting program on their computer. Are you?

      Joe 1: Hey let's go and make a device to make sure our mugs get filled on time!
      Joe 2: Neh, let's quit our current studie, join some classes on advanced cancer treatment and find a cure for cancer!
      Joe 1: For heavens sake, stay off the beer!

      Or actually:
      Heinrich 1: Wir... (ok, ran out of German words :)
    • I guess all those stories about people who've beaten cancer - they're just full of crap? Many forms of cancer have been treated succesfully for years (some without chopping random body parts off). Now, a cure for the Cold or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome [ednf.org], that'd be something new...

      http://www.computeagainstcancer.org/ [computeagainstcancer.org] is one option if you insist on even more funding for commonly-known diseases, though.

  • Finally. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    PROOF of intelligent design.
  • Wouldn't these inventive types get a bigger charge out of doing something important? Like a mug that makes beer out of thin air?

  • 6 reasons why this is not going to work (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Crouty ( 912387 ) on Friday September 30, 2005 @11:53PM (#13691708)
    1. People like beer in different sizes. Coaster would have to be calibrated.
    2. People do the weirdest things with coasters from which few leave the coaster intact.
    3. Coaster without cardbord gets wet. Cardboard soaks beer and would have to be replaced. Cardboard that just lies on top of intelligent coaster does not stick to it. Cardboard glued to the intelligent coaster cannot be replaced easily.
    4. Tons of coasters get lost in a pub. Would be expensive.
    5. People tend to like waitresses to take care of your refills.
    6. Pubs will not be able to save on personnel because of intelligent coasters. Someone still has to look after the customers.
    • Not only that, what happens if you want to drink something different?
      My local pub has usually got around 9 real ales on. I don't often drink the same one twice, because I like to try different things. I suppose you could just let it keep track of what you've had, and pick something else, but then part of it is trying a little (shot glass) of a beer, and ordering a pint if you like it, or trying some of your mate's beer.

      Thing is though, every night they have different beers on (never mind the bottled beer)
    • 7. Different people, different drinks.
      8. Beer doesn't always stay in the mugs.
      9. Unless they're REALLY durable (read: very expensive), they aren't gonna last long (slamming mugs down, beating on with fists, using as frizbee).
      10. Coasters do not get 'lost' in pubs, they get stolen flat out. As to what people do with them is an entirely different topic.
  • intelligent

    and

    beer

    Please, let's not ruin one of my life's greatest joys by bringing intelligence to bear

  • Praise god for this Intelligent Design! A great step in the evolution of beer mugs!
  • >> Butz said that to get around the problem...

    Harry? Harry is that you?

  • Bargirls (Score:4, Insightful)

    by HermanAB ( 661181 ) on Saturday October 01, 2005 @12:09AM (#13691762)
    Hmm, being a regular male chauvinist pig, I think I much prefer a breasty bar girl in a short skirt coming to ask me whether I want another...
  • So, when you are lying on the floor, holding on, so as not to fall off the planet and you can't return the mug to the coaster, since your arm is too short and you can't find the table anyway, since it isn't down there, then the barkeep will keep bringing you more beer? There is something fundamentally flawed with this design.

  • Sounds like something out of SciFi. (Score:5, Funny)

    by zwilliams07 ( 840650 ) on Saturday October 01, 2005 @12:23AM (#13691800)
    Giving the coasters total control of beer? They could keep mankind enslaved.

    I, for one, welcome our new Intelligent Coaster Overlords.
  • can't wait until the Theory of Intelligent Coasting is taught in our public schools' science classes.
  • i'm gonna make my own coaster! with blackjack, and hookers~!

    on second thought forget the coaster, and the blackjack.

  • Embedded coasters? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by patdabiker ( 710704 ) on Saturday October 01, 2005 @12:52AM (#13691894) Homepage
    How about you embed these in tables/bars? Then you don't have to worry about it getting stolen, and you make the process more transparent to the client. And you can keep the standard coasters. Just make it intuitive that the place you put your cardboard coasters is on top of the embedded plastic one.
    • As other comments posted show, the problem is with pitchers and such.

      Recalibrating stationary digital coasters on the fly seems simple enough, but what happens when someone gets up and goes to a different table?

      I suppose you could have an tag on the pitchers and glasses for the coasters to scan, but wow that just seems a ridiculous waste of technology for the sake of beer.

  • "One of the students interviewed for the story suggested that lifting mugs from sensing mats could double as a voting system during karaoke competitions."

    That's a great idea! Let's use the same method for presidential elections too. It'd probably even be more secure than those silly voting machines and at the very least, much more entertaining.

    Now that I think about it, having the candidates sing karaoke as part of their platform might be a good idea too :)

  • Never before has there been a story with such harmony between "News for Nerds" and "Stuff that Matters." Well, except all those other smart beer mug posts.
  • Here's a bit of trivia that some of you might know. It's common for a bartender to refill your mug without you asking when they see your mug completely empty, especially in Germany. If you leave a little beer on the bottom, the bartender won't give you a refill.

    It's nice to learn these kind of things from elderly relatives who got smashed because they didn't know certain customs overseas :)
    • Here's a bit of trivia that some of you might know. It's common for a bartender to refill your mug without you asking when they see your mug completely empty, especially in Germany. If you leave a little beer on the bottom, the bartender won't give you a refill.

      In the US it's common for them to refill your mug without asking if it's less than a quarter full and you aren't laying on the floor and you haven't assaulted another patron. At least in Jacksonville Beach. I love this town.
  • I wouldn't want to ride any coaster that would allow me to keep a full mug of beer. If I'm riding a coaster with a mug of beer, I want it to be all over me by the time the ride is over... or rather, half in me and half all over me :-)

  • Czech System: Simpler, Free, Better (Score:5, Interesting)

    by putko ( 753330 ) on Saturday October 01, 2005 @01:29AM (#13691966) Homepage Journal
    The Czechs at U Zlateho Tigra have a simpler system.

    They serve one beer. (an excellent one).
    They serve one kind of mug (half-liter).
    It is presumed that if you have an empty in front of you, you want another.

    A guy goes around the room looking for empties. He carries as many beers as he can hold. He takes your empty, puts down the new beer and marks your coaster to "add" the new beer to the tally. Then he goes back to the bar, loads up with more beers and heads out.

    If you don't want the beer, you must say "no!"

    When finished, you pay. He counts up and you are done.

    That's it: free but for the paper (or coaster) used for the tab. Works great. No need to even talk to the guy.

    Ruthelessly efficient.

    • (I own a pub)

      I'm not going to harp on about curing cancer, but this is just a waste of time. I'm all for technology behind the bar, cooling mechanisms, dispensers, etc--Brilliant, do it. Not in front of it. That's exactly the reason we go to the pub--if you're too good to ask the bartender for another beer, I don't want you at my pub.

      Get up, walk around, get to the bar. Have a chat with the bartender, with the other patrons at the bar, with the cute girl "on the way to the bathroom", thats why you're there.
      • I'm not sure if you are attacking the Czech system as anti-social or not. When you are there, it doens't feel anti-social. Here's why:

        Germany and the Czech Republic (and many other countries around there) are basically the same: you go the pub with your friends to talk and drink, and maybe eat a bit. You typically sit with them at a table, not at the bar (with the bartender). Some places have no seating at the bar -- it is laid out like a restaurant. You have to order everything from the same waiter (they r

      • I, for one, want to visit your pub.

        There is something coldly efficient (and maybe this is why this coaster was thought up in Germany, which has a reputation for cold effeciency) about this kind of a signalling system.

        I used to hang out at a sports bar near where I used to live and I "trained" the waitstaff (who were mostly really cute women) to pay attention to me. I like to play table soccer (fussball) and they tended to pay no attention to players and serve the table-sitters instead. Table soccer, being

    • a half-liter? you czechlanders sure drink small beers.
    • Very similar system in Cologne/Germany. Only we have much smaller glasses (0.2 liters) so it makes even more sense, because otherwise you would be ordering all the time.

      If it's empty, you automatically get a new one (all visitors are mightily impressed when they first experience it provided they like beer). If you don't want more, you just leave a small amount in the glass. Unfortunately not all pubs are still doing this because many non-Cologne people get too confused.

      I love it and wish other cities in Ger
  • People here in Germany are constantly worried that the research in Germany universities might not be able to compete with the top places in the world anymore. This finally proves them all sooo wrong!
  • Is it just me or did anyone else get a wierd sense of irony between these two adjacent articles:

    Science: Wild Gorillas Impress With Their Tools
    Science: Intelligent Coasters Keep Beer Mugs Full
  • an intelligent beer mug that doesn't require an intelligent coaster??
  • It took me a while to find this link [pacificgravity.com], but I remember this gadget running at the Apple WWDC a few years ago (the fact that it was a 'new' G3 should give you a time frame). Now, if we link this up with the automatic beer mat, I reckon we're sorted :)

    Incidentally, the device could be entirely contained within a single machine, but at the time they were also trying to demonstrate USB connectivity so they ran the software on the iMac and controlled the hardware on the G3 tower via USB.

  • According to the BBC coverage of this, these things cost $100 each to make.
  • It was if millions of alcoholics called out in unison and were suddenly happy.

  • Coasters? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by GreenBugsBunny ( 160180 )
    Am I the only one who read that as "Intelligent Roller Coasters Keep Beer Mugs Full?"

    My only thought was, "I can take my beer with me on the roller coaster, and it won't spill? Sweet!"

    I thought that they were really on to something. Then, I read the summary...
  • I have a better idea.

    Hire bartenders who can see.

    Thank you.
  • Intelligent waitress keeps beer mugs full.
  • I wonder if I could run Linux on it. . .
    I'd love to build a beowulf cluster of these.
    If I sat Natalie Portman on it, would it alert me when she needed service?
    I bet a penis-bird could perch on one of these, but only up until about two or three beers.
    I will not mention Goatse, I will not mention Goatse. . .
  • Anyone else think this was about a roller coaster with some smarts to keep you from spilling your beer?

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