HCI + student projects + Germans=

The Smart Beermat

The "smart" beer mat, created by Matthias Hahnen and Robert Doerr from Saarland University in Saarbruecken, southwest Germany, can sense when a glass is nearly empty, sending an alert to a central computer behind the bar so waiters know there are thirsty customers.

I only hope that our undergrads can achieve the same level of ingenuity.