Adaptabowl

Dina Pfeffer

The Adaptabowl: a flexible dish that morphs from plate to bowl when inflated. Molded from silicone, four circular bellows can be inflated to create whatever shape is most convenient to hold the food being served. 

The Adaptabowl conserves storage and packing space by converting from a plate to a bowl, eliminating the need for multiple kinds of dishes. Its flexible shape is ideal for transportation, and its versatility is useful for camping, picnicking, or dining with limited space at home. While other dishes exist that can be used in multiple ways (such as shallow bowls or “bowl plates"), and while collapsible silicone bowls are compact and portable, there is no vessel that changes from one functional shape to another. The Adaptabowl fills this gap by bringing the principles of the new field of soft robotics to the kitchen. Formed by four concentric bellows shaped like half-bagels, the dish curves up at the edges to form a bowl when inflated. By using a simple hand-held pump to inflate and deflate it, anyone can harness the power of soft technology to conserve space and pack practically.