After three years of working to bring this project to fruition, I’m beginning to understand why it’s the first of its kind – integrating a miniature mechanical timer with a tea infuser proved to be far more complex than we ever could have imagined. After engaging some engineer friends, old classmates, my brother (yes, they’re all mechanical engineers) we went through several design approaches, and chose a rotating tea infuser design that lifts the tealeaves out of the water at the end of the timing sequence. We applied for a technology patent, and our US patent was awarded a few months ago. Early prototypes of this piece were not pretty… but after engaging a hip bay-area design group, we were able to finalize a stylish and functional automatic teapot design. Shown here is the evolution of the Automatic Teapot (aka “tea Maestro”), currently on display at the San Francisco Airport.