An Oregon-based startup called Eureka is bringing to market a modular thermos bottle design that bears striking similarities to a concept created several years ago by British industrial designer Jake Naish. The new product, called the Eureka Bottle, features interchangeable sections that allow users to easily clean the container and adjust its volume capacity.
Naish's original design, known as the Forss bottle, introduced the innovative concept of modular sections that could provide a thermos with easy cleaning capabilities and adjustable volume. However, despite the brilliant design concept, Naish's creation remained in the conceptual stage and never reached commercial production.
The Eureka Bottle consists of a base section that is tapered to fit perfectly in automotive cupholders, along with two different "Boost" sections - one equipped with a handle and one without. This modular system allows users to carry 20, 40, or 60 ounces of liquid depending on their needs. The sections are constructed from stainless steel and feature silicone sealing rings for leak prevention. Users can easily disassemble all sections for thorough cleaning.
The three-piece set is priced at $56 on Kickstarter, where the crowdfunding campaign has already reached its funding goal with 13 days remaining at the time of reporting. The product designer claims to have "over 25 years of industrial design experience" but has chosen not to reveal their identity publicly. This experience timeline rules out the possibility that Jake Naish himself is behind the Eureka design, as he would be too young to have accumulated that many years in the industry.
The product has generated mixed reactions from design professionals and potential users. Jason Scala, commenting on the design, expressed concerns about market saturation in the beverage container industry. He noted that many consumers already have cupboards dedicated to various thermoses, travel coffee cups, branded containers, and stainless steel tumblers that often go unused. Scala also raised practical questions about the 60-ounce configuration, wondering how users would manage to drink from such a large, potentially unwieldy container.
From an engineering perspective, Ryan Cee suggested alternative design approaches that might have been more practical. He proposed that the large volume attachment should have featured a larger-diameter section of the same height as the standard size, rather than stacking smaller diameter segments that create what he described as "the leaning tower of soda." He also suggested making the handle detachable and designing the larger diameter top to accept the smaller diameter lid in an offset configuration for continued usability.
