Young scientists of NITU "MISIS" created a coffee machine for a car

Engineering company "Karfidov Lab", created on the basis of NITU "MISiS", presented a prototype of a portable wireless coffee machine iBarman, able to fit in a car holder. The miniature device combines the functionality of a full-fledged coffee machine and cooler, runs on batteries and can be controlled using the phone. The customer was the Russian startup Megistone, focused on the production of high-tech devices for the domestic and western markets.



The iBarman device, the size of a thermocup, is filled with water and two capsules of coffee, milk with sugar or tea, powered by ordinary batteries and controlled using a touch panel. The coffee machine contains a 350 ml tank that brews coffee at the same time and can be used as a removable glass. A partition is placed in the upper part of the mechanism, which is lowered due to the water going down and the hot drink coming from above.

“We have achieved the optimal size of the product - iBarman will fit even in the cup holder of the car. It is worth noting that in serial coffee machines, pumps with unregulated pressure are used to create a pressure of 15-19 bar. When working, they make noise, make the device itself vibrate and the surface on which it stands. In our development, there is no such pump; accordingly, there are no vibrations either. Instead, we use an individual design solution in the form of an electric motor that drives the half-pistons, combined with the bottom of the inner cup. Especially for this device, we came up with a solenoid valve that maintains optimal fluid pressure and guarantees high-quality coffee brewing, ”says Dmitry Vasilyev, Director of Development for Karfidov Lab.

The preparation time of the drink depends on the selected temperature and volume. For example, Americano coffee will be ready in 1 minute. About 40-60 seconds will be required for cooling to a temperature of +15 degrees, in the freezer it will take 10 minutes. Thus, with water and capsules, motorists will get professionally prepared coffee or tea literally on the go, or they can use the device as a mini-fridge for water or another drink.

“IBarman is a vivid example of an innovative project in which the original author's idea was embodied thanks to the brilliant engineering solution of our young inventors. The development of a portable coffee machine is the creation of a fundamentally new high-tech product that has no analogues in Russia and abroad, ”said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NITU“ MISiS ”.

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The project team completed the pilot product assembly and proceeded to the tests. At the moment, the design is dense and heavy, engineers are working to reduce its weight to 1 kg. In a batch production the device is planned to let out in a year. The customer company predicts the cost of the device, comparable to the price of a budget coffee machine.

In the future, engineers of NITU "MISiS" and "Karfidov Lab" plan to release 2 more modifications of the device. The first is a cooler with only a cooling function, which will be much smaller and lighter than the original one. The second will be designed for making coffee in "extreme" field conditions: it will have a more durable body and a powerful battery, as well as infrared radiation to destroy bacteria in "raw" water. This version of the coffee machine can be charged with a large number of capsules.