Problem
There's not always a microwave...
When packing food to go, one of the biggest problems is finding a way to heat it up. Plastic containers can melt in the microwave and glass containers are heavy.
Solution
No power source? No problem!
Quickly warm up your meal with the self-heating lunchbox. Whether you're at work and don't want to waste your lunch break waiting for the microwave or going on a picnic in the great outdoors, this lunchbox can heat your food in 12 minutes. With two heating modes, it can keep your food warm for hours. Interchangeable stainless steel containers make meal prepping even easier.
For this project, I had a goal to design a food container that helped reduce waste. This system allows for hot and cold foods to be kept in a bento-style system. The stainless steel containers are separated from the exterior to allow for easy cleaning and storage in the fridge. When you're ready to eat press the button for heating mode, and your meal will reach the food safety standard temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit in 12 minutes.
Devlopment
Version 1
The first iteration of the design was a single box with the heating element enclosed. The lid allowed for the box to be placed on it like a little table.
The main issues included concerns about the battery in the fridge, how to wash the container, and the display being unclear.
Version 2
The final iteration of the lunch box focused on solving the previous problems. For easy charging and cleaning the battery separates from the outer liner. The single-press button cycles through three modes, on/off, warming mode, and heating mode. This container system was also designed to accommodate meal prepping. The user could bulk pack multiple containers and then just pop one in the outer liner and secure the containers with the strap. There's no need to repack the food or worry about it getting cold.
The heated container is located at the bottom with the heating unit.
Adjustable strap to carry 1 - 3 containers at a time.
Simple single button system.
Heating element is easily removed for wireless charging.
