Wakey, Wakey: Breakfast Machine Finally Brought to Life

completed breakfast machine

Plenty of movies have depicted breakfast machines: automated contraptions that, with a touch of a button, prepare a hearty and nutritious breakfast for the (usually) nerdy and groggy inventor. Before now, the fabled breakfast machine has been nothing but a beautiful dream for those of us who can’t open our eyes enough to make a slice of toast before noon. The kind geniuses at Amsterdam design group Platform 21 have decided to bring that dream into the realm of Things That Actually Exist (Kind Of).

orange juice machine

egg and coffee machines

The unique philosophy of Platform 21 includes bringing together professionals and amateurs to make awesome things happen. This project was no exception: they invited members of the public to come and help them with the epic project. Over a period of seven days, the team went from having nothing more than a handful of ideas to having a fully functional breakfast machine that had been lovingly built by a diverse group of people.

toast line

jam machine

Each visitor contributed something unique to the project. Some brought in items, some sketched out ideas, and everyone dug in and put the pieces together. When there was a problem to be solved (such as how to get a perfect layer of jam on a piece of toast) the group all pitched in to come up with a solution.

There were bumps and obstacles along the way, as can be expected, but on the seventh day the machine made a delicious all-day breakfast for everyone: omelets, toast with jam, coffee and orange juice. Unfortunately, the breakfast machine isn’t fully automated and does still require the breakfast eater to be somewhat aware of what they’re doing, but it still looks like an easier way to make a morning meal for a crowd than doing it all the old-fashioned way.

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See more in Do It Yourself or under Technology. October, 2009.