Edible Water Bubbles That Might Soon Replace Plastic Bottles
Plastic water bottles might soon be a thing of the past thanks to these incredible edible water bubbles created by an innovative and sustainable packaging start-up based in London, UK.
The bubbles, called the Ooho!, are created by encasing a blob of drinking water within an edible membrane made from a natural seaweed extract. Nothing goes to waste, and the edible water pods will fully biodegrade in 4-6 weeks if left unconsumed.
The team behind this brilliant idea of bubble water is called Skipping Rocks Lab, a bunch of engineering graduates from RCA and Imperial College London who first introduced their ground-breaking concept in 2013. Since then they’ve been working hard to make their dream of edible water balls a reality, and a crowdfunding page they recently set up has already raised over 600k GBP (750k USD) in just a few days. Given that the US alone uses an estimated 35 billion plastic bottles per year, and given that plastic water bottles take hundreds of years to decompose, this sounds like a brilliant idea that everybody should get behind. Not to mention the draughts and water shortages caused by global warming, these water bubbles could be a great way of water conserving, as the dosages prevent spills and unnecessary water consumption.
Now, be sure to check the genius invention helping on water saving and living waste-free.
More info: Skipping Rocks Lab | Crowdcube
Watch the video below for more information:
Skipping Rocks Lab on Crowdcube
Hey! Do you want to be part of the movement to make packaging disappear? We are super excited to announce that we have just launched our Equity Fundraise on Crowdcube… Check it out here: http://bit.ly/2ohqxMuThrough Crowdcube and from as little as £10, you can own shares in Skipping Rocks Lab and become part owner of the business, helping to build it with us and expand on our mission to make packaging sustainable. To share in our success, come have a look at our campaign page!Help us spread the world by liking and sharing this post, and tag someone you think could be interested!Please #InvestAware as capital at risk.
Posted by Ooho on Monday, April 10, 2017
105Kviews
Share on FacebookThere's another market for them, then! Pre-filled water balloons. I wonder if they come in different sizes, because I would totally get behind that.
Load More Replies...so.... essentially, they've created edible water balloons. I'm curious how the "membrane" tastes.
Probably like nothing much. A lot of food thickeners are made from various seaweed extracts. They don't change the taste of anything.
Load More Replies...This was invented around 50 years ago and patented by Unilever in 1945. It is a simple combination of two ingredients E-401 and E-509 and you can make it at home. It became trendy when a Spanish Chef, Ferran Adria started using in his creations. The problem whit this invention is the logistics as this bubbles have a very sort life spam and degrades within a couple of days. On top of that, to sustain this to industrially commercialize, plastic will still be needed. Lack of good researches and journalists around here.
You can't patent ideas. You patent exact ways of doing things. The idea here is edible water bubbles. I'll bet there isn't just one way of doing it. This company, it seems, found another one. Even if it still uses plastic, it's less plastic (way less) than the usual amount which is a victory.
Load More Replies...So, you buy it in stores, the membrane is therefore dirty, and you eat it. So you either wrap it in some packaging or eat dirt.There's no need to invest in this hipster s**t. Just use a refillable hard plastic bottle and you're good to go. No waste, no dirt taste.
Use a reusable glass bottle. If the glass breaks, it can be thrown into recycling. If it makes its way into a landfill instead, no harm done at all because glass is not toxic. Plastic is a horrible packaging material. So little is recycled (some of it is very hard to reuse and lots of incinerator companies like to burn them to fuel their incinerators, which is NOT "waste to energy"), and when it breaks down into smaller particles, it ends up in the food chain. Just last week i spent three hours cleaning up litter on a walking trail and the plastic problem became all the more obvious to me (despite already KNOWING).
Load More Replies...I saw these the other day, and even though a membrane that pops, how easy would it be to suck it too far back and potentially choke ? it would mean you could put some in cartons not bottles, but then why don't we have water cartons anyway ? they do it for coconut water why not spring water? they have screw tops.
The coconut water ones are difficult recycle as well. The aluminium liner inside is not always recyclable depending on where you live, and doesn't mix well with the cartons.
Load More Replies...These are awesome!! They may not be perfect, but the idea is very innovative and they are on their way to something huge I think!
Innovation for innovation's sake is not all that useful. Practical and useful things are what we should be excited about, not gimmicks like this.
Load More Replies...i just wonder, how about the hygiene if we just put them in open area like that?
They won't replace water bottles, but I can definitely see them used for things, like served at a party instead of water bottles.
I think that this would be a good idea for marathons, but not for everyday use. If you were running a marathon they could set up small tables on the side of the track with these little guys on there so you could just grab a few while running past to get a small amount of water instead of spilling water all over you while running, or drinking too much and having it swish around in your stomach. I don't think they would be good for everyday use because just imagine carrying random little water balls around that might pop in a pocket or back or something.
My main concern is how do you keep it clean? If it's edible, you'd be eating all the bacteria and things from what it has been sitting on. And if you dropped it in the bathroom floor? Eeew.
How do you pack, store and transport them? are they going to biodegrade while sitting in a shop fridge? what is the price for a mouthful of water? will they burst while you are drinking it or do you have to put the whole thing in your mouth? can a young child manage one? would it maybe be more cost efficient and environmentally friendly just to put water filters on taps so people can just drink out of a tap and not use plastic water bottles at all, or better still just invest in looking after our fresh drinking water supplies so that it is drinkable without needing filters or plastic bottles.
This is a brilliant idea especially at athletic race events. Water gets handed out in little plastic sachets and the plastic sometimes gets discarded along the road. Energy drinks get handed out in small paper cups which, when you are running or power walking, gets spilled down your front. This idea should be marketed to all sports events.
This was my thought too! perfect for that. Of course there is still the hygiene issue..
Load More Replies...And where do I store this balls when Working? In a plastic bucket..? The idea is good but I think the use will be very limited.
And think about the dirt and bacteria storing these balls that you later put in your mouth.
Load More Replies...I wouldn't want to eat water that's being touched all over by people... But great idea!
They STILL have to be packaged to be sold in stores. Seeing as they hold a small amount of water, that means more than one will be needed by customers, so they'll probably come in some kind of ridiculous packaging anyway, like a bunch in a plastic crate, individually wrapped. Carrying little breakable spheres of water around is not a practical idea. This is also not likely to be an inexpensive product. This is a gimmick.
Little do they know they have created the largest waste of water in the world by creating the best water balloon ever.
Seems pretty amazing, but I don't know if I would put something in my mouth that wasn't properly wrapped by something else I could dispose of. I mean, these bubbles are exposed to all the dust in the air, plus all the filthy hands touching it.. it's a no-no for me.
You... you're ... weaponizing a water consumable gimmick...?
Load More Replies...There's another market for them, then! Pre-filled water balloons. I wonder if they come in different sizes, because I would totally get behind that.
Load More Replies...so.... essentially, they've created edible water balloons. I'm curious how the "membrane" tastes.
Probably like nothing much. A lot of food thickeners are made from various seaweed extracts. They don't change the taste of anything.
Load More Replies...This was invented around 50 years ago and patented by Unilever in 1945. It is a simple combination of two ingredients E-401 and E-509 and you can make it at home. It became trendy when a Spanish Chef, Ferran Adria started using in his creations. The problem whit this invention is the logistics as this bubbles have a very sort life spam and degrades within a couple of days. On top of that, to sustain this to industrially commercialize, plastic will still be needed. Lack of good researches and journalists around here.
You can't patent ideas. You patent exact ways of doing things. The idea here is edible water bubbles. I'll bet there isn't just one way of doing it. This company, it seems, found another one. Even if it still uses plastic, it's less plastic (way less) than the usual amount which is a victory.
Load More Replies...So, you buy it in stores, the membrane is therefore dirty, and you eat it. So you either wrap it in some packaging or eat dirt.There's no need to invest in this hipster s**t. Just use a refillable hard plastic bottle and you're good to go. No waste, no dirt taste.
Use a reusable glass bottle. If the glass breaks, it can be thrown into recycling. If it makes its way into a landfill instead, no harm done at all because glass is not toxic. Plastic is a horrible packaging material. So little is recycled (some of it is very hard to reuse and lots of incinerator companies like to burn them to fuel their incinerators, which is NOT "waste to energy"), and when it breaks down into smaller particles, it ends up in the food chain. Just last week i spent three hours cleaning up litter on a walking trail and the plastic problem became all the more obvious to me (despite already KNOWING).
Load More Replies...I saw these the other day, and even though a membrane that pops, how easy would it be to suck it too far back and potentially choke ? it would mean you could put some in cartons not bottles, but then why don't we have water cartons anyway ? they do it for coconut water why not spring water? they have screw tops.
The coconut water ones are difficult recycle as well. The aluminium liner inside is not always recyclable depending on where you live, and doesn't mix well with the cartons.
Load More Replies...These are awesome!! They may not be perfect, but the idea is very innovative and they are on their way to something huge I think!
Innovation for innovation's sake is not all that useful. Practical and useful things are what we should be excited about, not gimmicks like this.
Load More Replies...i just wonder, how about the hygiene if we just put them in open area like that?
They won't replace water bottles, but I can definitely see them used for things, like served at a party instead of water bottles.
I think that this would be a good idea for marathons, but not for everyday use. If you were running a marathon they could set up small tables on the side of the track with these little guys on there so you could just grab a few while running past to get a small amount of water instead of spilling water all over you while running, or drinking too much and having it swish around in your stomach. I don't think they would be good for everyday use because just imagine carrying random little water balls around that might pop in a pocket or back or something.
My main concern is how do you keep it clean? If it's edible, you'd be eating all the bacteria and things from what it has been sitting on. And if you dropped it in the bathroom floor? Eeew.
How do you pack, store and transport them? are they going to biodegrade while sitting in a shop fridge? what is the price for a mouthful of water? will they burst while you are drinking it or do you have to put the whole thing in your mouth? can a young child manage one? would it maybe be more cost efficient and environmentally friendly just to put water filters on taps so people can just drink out of a tap and not use plastic water bottles at all, or better still just invest in looking after our fresh drinking water supplies so that it is drinkable without needing filters or plastic bottles.
This is a brilliant idea especially at athletic race events. Water gets handed out in little plastic sachets and the plastic sometimes gets discarded along the road. Energy drinks get handed out in small paper cups which, when you are running or power walking, gets spilled down your front. This idea should be marketed to all sports events.
This was my thought too! perfect for that. Of course there is still the hygiene issue..
Load More Replies...And where do I store this balls when Working? In a plastic bucket..? The idea is good but I think the use will be very limited.
And think about the dirt and bacteria storing these balls that you later put in your mouth.
Load More Replies...I wouldn't want to eat water that's being touched all over by people... But great idea!
They STILL have to be packaged to be sold in stores. Seeing as they hold a small amount of water, that means more than one will be needed by customers, so they'll probably come in some kind of ridiculous packaging anyway, like a bunch in a plastic crate, individually wrapped. Carrying little breakable spheres of water around is not a practical idea. This is also not likely to be an inexpensive product. This is a gimmick.
Little do they know they have created the largest waste of water in the world by creating the best water balloon ever.
Seems pretty amazing, but I don't know if I would put something in my mouth that wasn't properly wrapped by something else I could dispose of. I mean, these bubbles are exposed to all the dust in the air, plus all the filthy hands touching it.. it's a no-no for me.
You... you're ... weaponizing a water consumable gimmick...?
Load More Replies...
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