
This customer experience is blowing up all over social media, or it would be if anyone could get to their cell phones.
The ubiquitous flat-pack furniture and home decor company IKEA has always had some very interesting ideas. Priducing furniture that’s afordable and easy to transport are two of their best, while the difficult-to-remember product names are a bit lower in our personal rankings.
Here’s another one for the “good idea” column: IKEA in Taiwan has come up with one solution to the creeping technology that is taking over our households and dinner tables.
Picture a special family meal, which for some Taiwanese families means a delicious hot pot gracing the table.
▼ Can’t eat. Checking what’s new on RocketNews24.
However, even though the whole family is at the table, no one is making any sort of meaningful conversation because everyone is too busy checking their cell phones. What is a parent supposed to do?
IKEA Taiwan has a good answer.
Awesome! A hot plate that will only turn on when there are enough phones under it. With all the bothersome, distracting tech in the middle of the table, everyone is able to finally connect with each other over some good food. The dining experience seems to be a real hit with the video’s consumers as everyone is really excited by both the technology and the chance for real dinner conversation again.
▼ Adding one phone raises the heat, but only minimally.
▼ The phones have the power!
▼ Cheers to a great dinner without the distraction of phones!
Now, not every family is going to want to be forced to talk to each other at dinner time. Some are going to prefer awkward silence, and people who live alone might find it difficult to cook with the low heat produced from only one cell phone. However, this cool little product might be the perfect thing to ensure that your special occasion dinner party turns out to be an exceptional one.
Images: YouTube/IKEA Taiwan 宜家家居




12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
A practical guide to freezing your boss’ hat in a block of ice [Photos]
Kyoto shop turns traditional Japanese kimono into teddy bears, with special meaning hidden in their patterns
Heavyweight ramen-style cheese fried chicken bowl appears in Tokyo, but is it genius or madness?
These Japanese contact lenses let you put anime characters on your eyes [Photos]
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
A practical guide to freezing your boss’ hat in a block of ice [Photos]
Kyoto shop turns traditional Japanese kimono into teddy bears, with special meaning hidden in their patterns
Heavyweight ramen-style cheese fried chicken bowl appears in Tokyo, but is it genius or madness?
These Japanese contact lenses let you put anime characters on your eyes [Photos]
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
Time-lapse footage shows just how fast rebuilding in Kumamoto can go
Best burger in Tokyo? JB’s serves up a cheap craft burger that not a lot of people know about
Visiting Japan’s muscular mascot character dog at his free museum near Kansai International Airport
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
Teen girl in Japan refuses to be victim, personally escorts train pervert to police for arrest
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]
Google’s first Google Store outside the U.S. is now open in Tokyo