Nautile

The environmental performance of conventional kettles is still often unsatisfactory.

Thanks to an approach combining industrial design and bio-inspiration, designer Guillian Graves and bio-engineer Michka Mélo have developed a sustainable and efficient alternative to the traditional kettle: Nautile.

The shapes, materials, structure and internal mechanisms, as well as the manufacturing process of this electric and combustion kettle, have been inspired by nature in order to minimise its energy consumption, which is responsible for 80% of its environmental impact.

In nature, the nautilus moves along the seabed by precisely controlling the volume of water that fills the different cavities of its mineral shell. Built on this principle, Nautile has four internal tanks. Each is the size of a cup and is spherical in shape, which is ideal for limiting heat loss. They allow users to fill only what they need, and therefore to call on only the energy they require.

Termites regulate the temperature of their habitat by designing a complex architecture. Based on this principle, Nautile incorporates a similar structure. A central chimney and numerous channels run through the three-dimensional printed object. They enable the user to heat a volume of water quickly and efficiently, using a minimum of energy.

The toucan has a beak with a light, robust structure that enables it to regulate its body temperature, and the polar bear protects itself from the cold with a fur made of hollow, insulating hairs. Inspired by these principles, Nautile has an insulating layer that encompasses the volumes of water to be heated. It is made up of a honeycomb structure and numerous cavities in the ceramic material, which is itself insulating. These allow the user to keep the water hot for as long as possible, so that the same volume of water does not need to be reheated at a later date.

Based on these four principles, an internal mechanism controls the desired water temperature. This allows the user to select the optimum temperature for their beverage while saving energy.

In short, Nautile is an easy-to-use, high-performance kettle with reduced environmental impact - proof that nature can be a source of inspiration for designing more sustainable innovations.