MIT non-stick ketchup bottle shortlisted for Design of the Year award

Many inventions push the boundaries of science or open up new aspects of society that we didn't know needed to be opened, but sometimes the best inventions address persistent problems that people have kind-of just given up on.

The LiquiGlide Ketchup Bottle, designed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of these latter inventions, because how much time have we wasted, and how much frustration have we put ourselves through by trying to get that last bit of ketchup out of the ketchup bottle.

The LiquiGlide coating is composed of a porous solid layer that bonds to the surface of the bottle, impregnated with a liquid layer that provides the lubrication. By varying the structure or materials used in the coatings, it can be tailor-made to any purpose and any level of lubrication, and the materials can even be edible, in case anyone gets the impulse to scratch off the coating.

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Now, this invention isn't exactly new, as it was first introduced last year, but the design has been accepted as a nominee for the 2013 Design of the Year award. This, along with nearly 100 other inventions, will be on display at the Design Museum in London, from March 20th to July 7th, and the winners of the award will be announced in April.

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