Designed by Katy West in collaboration with the Centre for Design Informatics, Edinburgh College of Art, Chris Speed and Teun Verkerk, the KASH cup is “the first manifestation of this near future”. Produced in Stoke-on-Trent the KASH cup is a limited edition of 100 coffee cups that operate as a pop-up digital currency. The project and Kash Cup has popped-up in a barter trade context at Dutch Design Week 2016 and the RTD Conference, Edinburgh University 2017. The design is based on a basic vending machine through away cup, but produced in bone china, synonymous with fine tea-drinking, and longevity, referring to the encouraged use and re-use of the Kash cup. The KASH cup was first shown at the DRIVE Festival (Design Research and Innovation) on the 28 October as part of Dutch Design Week 2016. With NFC tags in the base, each cup is either in credit or debit. If it is in credit holders can request a free cup of coffee from the barista. If it is in debit, then the holder must find another people with a cup that is also in debit and meet together to turn their coffee cup on. Once they have met, and scanned their cups on the NFC reader, their cups will be credited and they will be able to receive a free cup of coffee. The project turns the opportunity to talk to strangers into a currency, and the cups become the record of these transactions. The playful coffee process, introduces audiences to the concepts of new digital currencies.

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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eSVpGiI...