IKEA Taiwan's hot plate table is a practical way to ensure that mobile phones are not present at the dinner table.

The mere presence of a mobile phone can impact on the quality of a conversation we’re attempting to engage in.

Placing one on a shared table can make us feel less connected, as our common compulsion to check them means we’re less present, which can cause resentment to build in those we are sat with.

The obligation we feel to check our mobile phones every few minutes distracts us from the nuances of facial expression and eye contact – both factors that determine the intrinsic nature of conversation.

Social media and instant messaging apps are great at connecting us from a distance, but extremely detrimental when we come together, especially at meal times.

In response to this, IKEA Taiwan has created a table that requires diners to hand over their mobile phones in order to heat up their meal.

A slightly elevated hot pot is embedded into the table; underneath this is a hotplate onto which diners must place their phones in order to heat up their meal. Additional phones intensify the heat, if someone removes their phone the heat decreases, and the food is not cooked properly.

For many of us a complete technological detox would prove difficult, owing to work or social commitments. But initiatives such as the Hot Pot Table could mean we’re able to connect with each other over dinner once again.