When you were little, did your parents used to give you a few coins as a reward because you did something good, like taking the trash out? If yes, this new gadget that I am going to tell you about, will make you have the super cool flashback of the good old days.
But if not, then be prepared to have the experience you never had and you always wanted to. Meet Ecan, the high-tech trash can, equipped with Raspberry Pi-powered screen and a built-in compactor that run on solar, and gives you money every time you throw something it.
The cool bin is an invention of Sean Auriti from Brooklyn, and if you are already plotting how to trick the thing, let me stop you here, and get the facts straight first. To avoid any crimes being committed, I should start by telling you that you earn money in a cryprocurrency called Emrals, the use of which I will tell you later, but before that, the technical details. To use the bin, you need to identify yourself via the Raspberry Pi screen.
Then, to earn yourself money, before you place something into the trash can, you have to scan its barcode, unless it is a biological waste, or a wrapper of an individually packed candy. If that is the case, then you will have to take a photo of it with your smartphone, via the app that comes along with the bin.
OK, well, maybe if you do not see the value of Emrals, you might see it as a very time- and effort-consuming gadget, but this soon might not be the case at all. Auriti’s vision for the future is that the money the trash can gives you would one day be able to buy you things, such as Wi-Fi access for example.
The gadget is on display at the New York City Electronics Week– last day today, 27th June.
Image (c) Sean Auriti
