Overview
If you’ve been to the Himalayas lately, you’ll know just how big a problem plastic water bottles are. Rubbish left by trekkers ends up in villages, where waste treatment systems are often non-existent. What’s more, about 50 billion plastic bottles are produced globally each year and, in Australia alone, 373 million or so become landfill.
So, a bunch of Spain-based design students have invented a water vessel that leaves no waste behind whatsoever because you can eat it when you’ve finished drinking. Named ‘Ooho’, it’s actually more a sphere than a bottle, and it’s made of brown algae and calcium chloride.
While that might not exactly sound like a MasterChef creation, it is digestible. And there’s every chance it’s good for your teeth. The ingredients are cooked to form a double gelatinous membrane that protects the water inside, keeping it hygienic and well-sealed.
"Liquid forms drops because the liquid exhibits surface tension," designers Guillaume Couche, Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez explain. “Bounded completely, or almost completely, by free surfaces. Ooho replicates this behaviour, encircling the water in an edible membrane of algae.”
Spheres cost just 2 cents a pop and can be made in various sizes. None of the serious infrastructure involved in PET plastic manufacturing is necessary. In fact, the designers are pretty certain that it won’t be long before everyone will able to cook their own Oohos in their kitchen.
The Ooho was one of 12 winners in the 2014 Lexus Design Award. ‘Curiosity’ was the theme, and other awarded inventions included an innovative time-telling device from India, an e-wheel from Vietnam and a den-building kit from the UK.
Via Inhabitat.