The Willtex ‘Willcook’ microwave bag looks like a stylish laptop bag but is actually made out of conductive fabric that allows the user to heat the inside all the way up to 250 degrees Celsius.
Say what you will, but there’s nothing more comforting than a nice hot meal on a cold winter day, especially when you’re out and about. But what if you have no way of heating your lunch or ordering a hot meal? That’s where the world’s first microwave bag comes into place. Made out of an innovative fabric developed by Japanese company Sanki Consys Co. Ltd., the Willtex ‘Willcook’ bag looks like your average laptop bag, but it can heat up whatever you have stored inside to a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius in just 5 minutes. The bag itself weighs just 160 grams, while the rechargeable battery pack powering it weighs an extra 120 grams.
The true innovation behind the Willcook microwave bag is the stretchable fabric that generates heat just by drawing power from a battery pack. Although Sanki Consys doesn’t go into great detail bout its wide range of “Fabrinics” smart fabrics, in this particular case it is apparently a combination of stretchable electric wires and woven conductive fibers. The revolutionary fabric has the same flexibility and lightness as regular cloth, yet provides quick and uniform heating.
The inside of a Willcook microwave bag reaches 80°C in 5 minutes after being powered on, but users can set the temperature between 40°C and 250°C via a smartphone app called Hotopia. The included battery pack lasts for 8 hours on a full charge and has a small, dedicated pocket on the side of the bag.
The insulating properties of its innovative fabric also make the Willtex Willcook bag great for keeping drinks cool in the summer.
