R2B2

StudioMontag, an open association of product designers and students who met at Germany's Bauhaus-University Weimar, share an interest in transforming daily life into something incredible. A brilliant illustration of their creative thinking, the R2B2 looks like something Pee-Wee Herman would invent, but unlike the cinematic version it actually conserves energy while rapidly chopping, whipping, crumbling, spinning and more.

Designed by Christoph Thetard, the mechanical appliance hides a flywheel below a worktop, that when accelerated with a simple foot pedal can directly power a hand mixer, a blender and a coffee grinder. Smart transmission ratios and different gears enable more than 10,000 rotations per minute. Chopping herbs, grating cheese or mixing cocktails can be accomplished with a few pedal kicks only, in an unexpectedly silent way.

Still in prototype form, Thetard has started a Kickstarter crowd-funding process to bring his concept to reality. Find out more info at the R2B2 website.

See more images of the building process and final prototype in the gallery.