Greenwich-based Meantime Brewing Company has unveiled the world’s first ‘Smart Mirror’ to reflect the sun’s rays and keep beer gardens in constant sunshine this summer.
This summer, thousands of British pub goers will face the perennial issue of trying to avoid the shade and find the perfect spot to enjoy a cold beer in the sun. Which is why Meantime is introducing the Smart Mirror. The innovative device uses cutting edge technology combined with GPS tracking to follow the trajectory of the sun, reflecting its rays into the garden and leaving nothing in the shade.
Providing guaranteed rays for sun-seekers, the new invention is being trialled at the aptly named The Sun in Clapham Old Town from with a view to rolling out to more of the best beer gardens in the UK.
Launching on the longest day of the year to make the most of the sunshine, the Smart Mirror has been designed in collaboration with iconic artist and inventor Andrew Shoben. The cutting-edge technology uses advanced GPS tracking to perfectly map the movement of the sun – making moment by moment micro adjustments to ensure the rays are constantly and consistently distributed across the space, leaving nothing in the shade.
The Smart Mirror is a bespoke innovation, mounted onto a motorised bracket that can rotate 270°, ensuring the mirror is able to track and reflect the sun through its full arc. The mirror’s movement is controlled by a specially written computer programme that uses complex algorithms based on time, date, latitude and longitude to follow the sun to the exact degree as it crosses the sky. The programme can be altered to any location in the world simply by adding in new coordinates.
The installation is a prototype that Meantime hopes will prove a hit with sun-seeking beer lovers before future plans are made to offer this state-the-art invention to other select outlets pouring Meantime.
Rich Myers, Marketing Director of Meantime Brewing Company, said: “There are few things more enjoyable than relaxing in a sunny pub garden with a cold pint of London Lager. We’ve all been in a situation where you find yourself having to dodge shadows, chasing the rays as they move across the garden.
We set out to solve this great British problem by creating the Smart Mirror, designed to give one of our favourite pub gardens sunshine across the whole day. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do, from the beers we brew and technology we use at the brewery, right through to creating the best possible drinking environments and experiences. It’s been great to work with a true visionary like Andrew to bring our ambitious idea to life, potentially changing the British beer garden forever.”
To celebrate the installation of the Smart Mirror, The Sun will be pouring Meantime’s Sunshine State, a fruity Californian-style pale ale, packed full of West Coast American hops.
John France, General Manager of The Sun pub, commented: “Our garden comes into its own in the summer months but as the sun moves across the sky the shadows do start to creep in. Even though it’s entertaining to watch our punters huddle together to cram into the sunny spots, we’re really excited to have the opportunity to drench our garden in sun all day long. We thought Meantime were a bit mad when they first introduced the Smart Mirror concept to us, but we’re always up for trying new things and it’s an amazing innovation that will transform our garden into the greatest sun trap around! Not many pubs can boast something as innovative as this for their punters!”
The Smart Mirror will launch at The Sun in Clapham Old Town on 21st June and will remain there for two days. A selection of Meantime beers will be pouring at The Sun, including the limited edition Sunshine State pale ale.
For further information on Meantime and the Smart Mirror, head to www.meantimebrewing.com
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