300-piece espresso machine takes orders through text messages

In an attempt to demonstrate its cloud texting platform, Zipwhip has done the only logical thing — build an espresso machine that accepts orders via texts. The “Textspresso,” as it’s been dubbed, took around three months of on-and-off work to put together and consists of nearly 300 parts. It works like this: you text your order to the machine, say while you’re in a meeting or on your way to the office, and it will automatically grab a mug, brew your drink, and leave it on a warming tray for when you’re ready to pick it up. There’s even an edible ink printer that will write your phone number on the drink’s foam so that orders don’t get mixed up.

Zipwhip has no plans to mass produce the machine, but instead built the Textspresso as a way of showcasing the tech it describes as the “iMessage of Android.” But with a few refinements — right now the machine is pretty big and a bit noisy — the Textspresso could become a useful tool for caffeine-deprived office dwellers. Now if we could only get the Verge coffee machine to take orders via @ replies.