Smart Coasters Know to Fill 'Er Up

It's a coaster, of the interactive rather than the classically warped or sodden variety, and its inventors are hoping it will become as popular in pubs and bars as the beer which stands upon it. Not only can it inform the bar staff when it is time for a refill, but it can also double up as a voting device for those agonized evenings of karaoke or quizzes.

Created by computer scientists Andreas Butz of the University of Munich and Michael Schmitz of Saarland University, the new lazy drinker's best friend looks like a regular beermat. But beneath the cardboard surface lurks a small, flat baseplate which conceals pressure and acceleration sensors that react to the weight of the glass and the position and movement of the coasters.

Clever as they are, these microsensors pass on whatever information the drinker gives them via radio link to the bar, where the signal is picked up and decoded by a waiting computer.

The inventors believe the gadget could be used as a voting
device -- for instance to judge the performance of a karaoke singer or to give an opinion on referee decisions on big-screen matches in sports bars.

A "Yes" vote, for instance, could be registered by raising the glass, causing the sensors to move.

A "No" would be registered by raising the glass and then turning the cardboard mat over and replacing it on the baseplate, thus causing a telltale double movement of the sensors.

Flap for a fast order

When the glass is empty, the drinker can use the cardboard beermat to order another beer. The customer conveys the urgency of the request by "flapping" on the sensor with the mat, and by using a stack of mats can express the number of drinks ordered.

And what of the fidgety folk who, upon sitting down, automatically pick up the coasters rather than settling their glasses on them? As they fumble with that most traditional and predictable of pub accessories, will they suddenly find they've been landed with a posse of drinks ordered inadvertently? That, surely, will be the landlord's call.