Turning your thoughts to beer - pouring a pint with the power of your mind

I work for a
digital agency
that specialises in
web design &
build...

Where I head up
our innovation
labs

We’re responsible
for exploring &
evaluating new
technologies and
concepts and
sharing what we
learn with our
clients

We focus on
turning ideas into
some form of
prototype that
can then be
discussed, tested,
and iterated

One of our latest
prototypes is the
Brain Powered
Beer Machine.
(more later)

I’ve been asked to talk
about how we see the
future in digital.
These 3 points aren’t so
much future gazing as
current trends that we
think are super
important, and that
we’ve been playing with
over the last 12 months

Firstly, frictionless by platform and
device.
I should be able to complete any
task on any device, whichever I
have closest to hand. I shouldn’t
need to swap to a bigger screen,
or to a keyboard input, or
download an app first

Secondly, frictionless by effort
We no longer rely on mouse &
keyboards. We have devices
that use touch, gesture, motion,
temperature, voice, fingerprints,
& heartbeat as input methods

Communications &
transactions will be
hidden as more
objects become
connected, in an
effort to save us
time, money & effort
The over used
example: fridges
that order more
groceries when we
run out
But we starting to see
bins that let the
council know when
they need emptying

A while ago, we
connected a
recycling bin to our
network. Using a
light sensor we can
count bin usage
and measure and
improve our
recycling efforts

More interestingly, when
we’ve connected our objects,
what will they say to each
other? Can we move beyond
utilitarian uses and make room
for emotion?
Check out the Addicted
Products project where
toasters, that love to be used,
can asked to be re-homed if
they’re feeling neglected

We’re big fans of this
philosophy.
Cheap landfill marketing
is inexcusable. We need
to craft products &
experiences that people
love, so they’ll love our
brands back.
We need to give people
smiles, memories &
ownership

Our latest project
is a Lionel Richie
signing-in kiosk,
where visitors
sculpt a self
portrait in our 3D
browser clay. It’s
so much nicer than
the boring biro &
paper based
approach

Hopefully, why we made our
beer machine makes a little
more sense now.
It’s no great invention, but a
collection of readily
available objects connected
together with a few bits of
code.
It uses brainwaves as an
input method, and so far it’s
pulled 500 pints and made
most people smile

(we also realised
that our company
name was an
anagram of
brewed, so
perhaps we
should have been
making our own
beer long ago?)

So, what is Head
to Head?
it’s a system that
asks the question:
Can you
concentrate hard
enough to pour a
pint?

And here’s how it
works...
First you need a brain.
Sounds easy, but so
far we’ve met 5
people who don’t
have one (according
to the technology)

...and a headset.
this has 4 touch
points, & measures
electromagnetic
waves between
them.

Which meant we
had to design &
build an iPad app.
This visualises the
levels of
concentration that
the headset detects.
As the user focuses
their mind, the cursor
moves towards the
centre of the target

...and at the
centre, the iPad
sends a signal
via our closed
wifi network...

...to an Arduino
(an electronic
prototyping kit)
that we’ve set up
and programmed
to then trigger...

...a solenoid.
Which is a fancy
electronically
controlled valve

The solenoid’s
connected to the
home brew

And when
you’ve poured
the perfect
pint, you have
to stop thinking
straight away
to avoid over

Obviously we’re no longer at #DIF,
and neither are you so you can’t
give it a go
But do check out
Headtohead.redweb.com
For photos, videos & details of how
to get in touch if you’d like to
know more

Turning your thoughts to beer - pouring a pint with the power of your mind

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