SPACE CUP
By IRPI LLC (US)
This coffee cup allows astronauts to drink in space much like they do on Earth. Here, we tip cups towards our mouths, relying on gravity to pour the liquid in. We regulate the flow with our lips and the tipping angle. The Space Cupaccomplishes the same goal by replacing the role of gravity with the combined effects of surface tension, wetting, and cup geometry, such that the 'bottom' of the cup is actually the 'lip' of the cup. Touching one’s lips to the cup completes the 'capillary connection' allowing liquid to first wick into the mouth spontaneously before drinking proceeds somewhat as normal. Depending on the drink, every drop can be drained from the cup. Happily, the astronauts can actually smell the coffee — their more routine drinking liquids are consumed from collapsing bags through straws. The Space Cup uses design tools developed for fuels, coolants, and water processing systems for spacecraft.
BIO
IRPI LLC is a small aerospace company focusing on passive capillary fluidics solutions for fluid-handling problems aboard spacecraft.