DavecUK A platform where you can set/move the level of the jug with some sort of lever, would seem to be a number 1 feature…
If you need to move the level of a jug with a lever, then it’s not hands free (unless it moves automatically by itself, or you use something other than your hand to move it).
If the elevator isn’t automatic and the user needs to decide when to move the lever, then the user could also move the jug by hand, couldn’t they? In this case, what is the benefit? Is it the set height? Surely the height would depend on the level of the milk, which in turn will depend on the size of the pitcher and the amount of milk in it, would it not? So to set the level automatically, such a machine would need to sense the level somehow, and again this would add cost and complexity.
Surely there is need for hands-free steaming in some settings (a very busy coffee shop during rush hour maybe?), but in a home environment making two (or ten) lattes a day, does anyone really needs a hands-free steamer (providing they have hands?).
(Also, where is the fun in having a skill, practicing, learning and understanding what you are doing, if you could just spend money and have a machine do everything for you? But I guess that is a topic for another discussion).
