#HTE

What If Lids Could Do More Than Just Seal a Container?

A fluoroelastomer is a variant of synthetic rubber. Chemical- and stain-resistant, it’s used to make seals in air conditioners and automobiles. Nendo, however, imagined more domestic applications for the stuff, and partnered with air conditioner manufacturer Daikin, a company well-versed in fluoroelastomers, to make a new series of kitchen objects.

For their “Air Lids” project, Nendo developed five different vessels with fluoroelastomer lids that have more functionality than mere caps:

01. Pick-up lid – a lid that can [gather] seasonings from its container

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02. Press lid – a lid for a liquid container that opens like a mouth when pressing down its top

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03. Pinch lid – a lid that conceals a small spoon, which only appears when pinching its edge

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04. Pull lid – a lid that is stretched from inside the container, closes its mouth with tension

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05. Push lid – a lid that extrudes liquid from the container when being pushed in to it

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I know some of those descriptions sound confusing, but you’ll understand them right away when you see how they’re used: