Lover's Cups

Here's an interesting product concept from Jackie Lee and Hyemin Chung at the MIT Media Labs: the Lover's Cup. This is an LED-enhanced, wi-fi enabled pair of cups meant for sharing the experience of drinking from afar. An example usage scenario - say my lovah and I are in separate locations and I wish to connect with him. All I need to do is pick up my cup and take a sip. My lovah will then see his own cup light up, which tells him I wish to share a drinking moment with him.

But wait - the Lover's Cup does more than act as a virtual toasting gimmick. With a sip or a shake of the cup, users are communicating their affinity towards one another. The soft beacon of light reminds the user that their special someone is thinking of them.

(Now if only I'd known of these cups sooner...they could have been useful in past long-distance relationships that ended up on the cutting room floor...)