Engineering ingenuity: the Swiss have many admirable qualities, one of which is their talent for ingenious design and craftsmanship. You just have to look around you to see examples of these remarkable--and sometimes groundbreaking--feats of engineering.
| Auteur | Bachmann, Helena |
| Fonction | Only in switzerland |
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When discussing typically Swiss characteristics, words like "creative" and "inventive" don't spring to mind with the same frequency as "dull" and "diligent". However, the Swiss have managed to successfully parlay their knack for precision and quality construction into some surprisingly clever designs.
The first and most obvious example is the Swiss Army Knife, a conveniently multi-functional (and by now ubiquitous) pocketknife. Even in countries where people have no clue where Switzerland is--or that there really is a Swiss army--these little tools have been commonly used for a variety of eclectic purposes, from hoofing horses to tweezing eyebrows.
Teatime
Recently, I discovered another ingenious piece of machinery, which left me in awe of Swiss craftsmanship and engineering talent.
As a tea drinker, I was intrigued to hear about a new state-of-the-art brewing machine manufactured by Nestle, which makes a perfect cup of tea, customised specifically for my demanding palate. Gone are the days of dipping a bland-tasting tea bag into a cup of boiling water and drinking brown liquid that looks and tastes like dishwater.
This particular machine comes--like its sister coffeemaker Nespresso--with its own array of aluminium capsules, containing many different tea-leaf varieties. According to the manufacturer's website, "each dosage is measured to precision ... The perfect brewing time and temperature for each individual tea variety is calculated by the innovative system, which, in turn, releases the full benefits and infusion of the tea beverage".
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In other words, a special sensor recognises each capsule, so the brewing time is regulated according to the type of leaves being used. I can attest that the gurgling noise of the brewing process indeed varies by a few nanoseconds, depending on whether the capsule contains the green, white, red, or black tea--or sub-varieties thereof.
Call me fastidious if you want, but I am oddly comforted by the fact that each time I push the "on" button, inside my machine a little Swiss scientist in a white lab coat springs into action, making sure each cup is brewed "just so".
Snug as a bug
The tea machine is impressive enough, but I was bowled over by the way it was delivered to my house.
Upon opening the box, I saw the extreme care that had been taken during the packing process, which I assumed involved a series of highly trained Swiss workers with a special apprenticeship...
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