Recent history is full of examples of tech that was invented and sold more because their creators could, rather than because the tech was in any way useful. You only have to look at the history of the Juicero for a proper cautionary tale (we’ll leave you to giggle at that for a bit). While automated pour-over filter coffee maker Automatica isn’t in the same league as the all-time useless tech champ, it’s still a stretch to feel that you need to have this tech in your home.

Basically, the Automatica is a coffee engine that automates pour-over filter coffee. Which, if you’re look at it from the outside, just seems as though it’s a standard kettle that pours itself. Indeed, that’s mostly what the slickly-presented Kickstarter pitch video seems to indicate as well — even as it’s talking about how well engineered the Automatica is.

But is it worth putting down anywhere from $450 (R6,500, the cheapest funding option that will get you your own coffee machine), right up to $700 (about R10,000, the expected retail price) for one of these? Surely it’s cheaper just to make your pour-over coffee by hand?

For folks like us, who just lob hot water and enough coffee grounds to stun a donkey into a plunger… probably. For people who take their coffee seriously, who meticulously monitor temperatures and understand the importance of “…volume, flow rate, time, and pour pattern” when it comes to making a cup of java… perhaps. And it’s that audience that this Kickstarter is aimed at. For everyone else, though, this is just an overpriced pedestal that lets your kettle pour you a single cup of coffee at a time.

Like we said, you don’t need the Automatica. But we can’t help it if you happen to want one. The Automatica is looking for $50,000 in funding and it has managed $17,800 so far.

Source: Kickstarter