CASE STUDY: Breville espresso maker hacked to blend art and data for engaging demo

Background

Appliance maker Breville uses 'Seeing is believing' as one of its catch phrases, but the company felt that much of the innovation in its espresso machines is hidden inside the devices and thus not comprehensible to consumers. 

Aim

To demonstrate the "hidden brilliance" and consistency of the BES900 espresso maker's "commercial grade" features for the vocal and opinionated trendsetters that make up the premium espresso market.

Execution

For the Sydney Aroma Festival, a 29 July event dedicated to coffee, tea, chocolate, and spice, Reborn hacked a BES900 by installing several sensors including flow meters, three separate temperature sensors, and a pressure sensor.

The output from these sensors was displayed on a flat-screen TV during the espresso-making process, highlighting in particular the water pressure during the key pre-infusion and extraction phases. The system also transformed the sensors' outputs into an animated data visualisation in which the number, position, speed, and colour of the visual elements reflected the machine's behaviour during brewing. Consumers received custom-printed, branded cup-wraps that displayed the images and specifications of their individual beverages, as well as a code to download the artwork later.

"It's a concept that engages all of our senses and then closes the loop in a unique and memorable experience," said David Gubbin, Breville business manager. Added David Easton, Reborn director and co-founder, "It not only has the bells and whistles but solves a business problem through a shared vision of creativity, storytelling and actionable innovation."

Results

"The Naked Espresso" machine produced cups of espresso for more than 2,000 caffeine fiends on the day of the festival, and was witnessed by an estimated 100,000 people. With zero media cost, the company garnered more than 200 leads on a product priced at A$1,500 (US$1,549). In addition, a competition running on Facebook has received 7,000 entries, the product demonstration video (above) is approaching 20,000 views and numerous coffee-enthusiast blogs and publications have written about the system, which has already been booked for future events in the US and Korea.