From the Series
The line between crazy and genius has always been tenuous, but for British designer Dominic Wilcox that line might as well be made of dental floss. Challenged by Kellogs to make breakfast time more fun for kids heading back to school, Wilcox created playful breakfast tech including; a cereal bowl that amplifies the sound of Rice Krispies, a milk powered hydraulic crane device worn on your head, and a flying personal assistant.
Over the course of 10 weeks, Wilcox designed seven inventions and prototypes. He recently visited the Cereal Killer Cafe in London to test out these inventions on the unsuspecting public:
Soggy-O-Meter
This device sounds an alarm when your milk and cereal reach your ideal sogginess. Preferences range from “not soggy” up to “soggylicious”.
“Get Enough” Robot Spoon
This robot spoon powers up as you eat your cereal, simulating the act of getting energised as you start your day. The device powers down, closing its eyes after four hours, letting you know it’s time to eat again.
Snap, Crackle and Pop Amplifier
The soft snap and crackle of Rice Krispies mingled with Saturday morning cartoons will never be the same again with Wilcox’s Amplifier. The device uses a microphone and volume control to increase and decrease the snap, crackle and pop.
Crane Head Cereal-Serving Device
Instead of ruining your day with the mundane act of pouring your cereal into a bowl, you can now use Wilcox’s milk powered hydraulic crane device, which is worn on your head. The device is powered by syringes containing milk. It functions like the hydraulics on large industrial diggers. Push and pull the plungers to fill your cereal bowl. Lastly, press the plunger to squirt the milk.
Robowl: Flying Personal Assistant
Hail your own flying assistant using a watch. The device delivers cereal, an umbrella or whatever else you need. It is currently in its prototypal phase.
“Breakfast is served” pillow
Wilcox’s final device hopes to replace the parental wake-up-scream. The users pillow has a built in speaker activated by a button on a cockerel. Sounds range from a cockerel call to “Wakey wakey, breakfast is ready!” gradually the message gets firmer with each button press if there is no response.
