One of the great mysteries of life is how to get the ketchup out of the ketchup bottle. Our cavemen-like minds usually resort to the most base of instincts to extract the delicious condiment: physical violence. That problem is even more frustrating when there is very little left in the bottle itself: The walls of the bottle are lined with a thin layer that collectively would garnish my hamburger, but it is denied me.

Of course then we find ourselves beaten by the inanimate condiment container and we surrender to its superior steadfast position. We throw away countless traces of pasty substances every day due to this dilemma, but now MIT doctoral candidate Dave Smith and his team of mechanical engineers have concocted a solution that may not cure cancer, but it will finally give mankind the upperhand over the tyranny of the ketchup bottle.

The solution is called LiquiGlide. It is a micro fine liquid layer that can line the inside of containers and allow for the free movement of the contained substance leaving no trace behind. The coating is made of FDA approved non-toxic materials and will not affect the flavor nor mix with the substance in the container.

Brilliant. Just magical.

Aside from making it super easy for me to dispense ketchup (maybe TOO easy), if this technology was sold to just the condiment and sauces market ALONE it is estimated it would save 100 million tons of food being discarded on the inside of containers every year. This market is already estimated as a $17 billion business in the US.

Ketchup has lost the war. We live in the future my friends.