JERUSALEM – An Israeli company has invented a cup which gives a fruity taste and scent to plain water by tricking the brain with the illusion that the beverage is flavored, Israeli website Ynet reported.
The Right Cup does not add anything to the water itself and therefore there are no preservatives, sugar or calories of any kind involved. Instead, the inventors inserted the aromatic fruit flavors usually added to beverages directly into the cup itself. By positioning the drinker’s nose directly over the cup’s opening, drinkers are able to smell the aromas as well as tasting a hint of flavor.
The developers predict that using the Right Cup will encourage people to drink more water rather than unhealthier beverages. The company’s founder and CEO, Isaac Lavi, was a researcher and lecturer on scent marketing who demonstrated how easy it is to manipulate the brain with smell. At the age of 30, Lavi was diagnosed with diabetes and instructed to only drink water.
In a YouTube video, Lavi confessed that his dislike for the taste of water led to inventing the Right Cup.
The company began a campaign on crowdfunding site Indiegogo last week and has already more than doubled its initial goal of $50,000 US.