The problem of charging your smart device while on the go is something that has plagued us since the very introduction of smartphones. Companies have tried a plethora of solutions to the problem from solar powered chargers to now, coasters?

This coaster might very well be the greatest invention of all time. Forget the light bulb and sliced bread, the Epiphany onE Puck is a coaster that doubles as a charger for your smartphone.

The Puck doesn’t require that you plug it into an outlet, instead it uses a Stirling engine to convert heat energy in to electrical energy and power a USB connected device. It has two sides, one for hot beverages and one for cold, color coded to differentiate between use.

Stirling engines aren’t anything new, they’ve been around since the 19th century. The creators of the onE Puck, Epiphany Labs, have built a working prototype that’s featured on Kickstarter. They don’t give specifics related to charging times, nor do they specify the required temperatures of beverages to get the job done. They have however stated the Puck will be able to provide approximately one amp of current to connected devices.

Technically, an iPhone requires at least .5 amps to charge to 100 percent. That figure doesn’t include using the device when it’s charging. But nonetheless, one amp is more than sufficient to charge a device running on the last of its available juice.  Nominally speaking, 1.1 amps is needed to charge an iPhone at a rate of 1 percent per minute up to 85 percent capacity, then the software kicks in to regulate charging rates and conserve battery life.

Obviously, the greater amount of energy placed on the device, the better the result. An ice cold beer, or a hot cup of coco should do the job. But again, Epiphany Labs hasn’t specified any details just yet.

The company is aiming to reach $100,000 through Kickstarter to develop their prototype in to a device that can be manufactured for the consumer market. Hopefully as the company’s development moves forward we’ll begin to see more details on the Puck’s operation. Epiphany Labs has an expected delivery date for pledge Pucks of March 2014.

Investors jumping in early can grab the Puck for $99, which is down from a regular price of $115. The company is also offering custom engraving for a pledge of $135. The Puck is expected to retail for $150.

According to figures from Kicktraq, Epiphany currently has $28,870 of its $100,000 goal with average daily pledges of $9,623. At that rate, the company could exceed its target funding by over 500 percent. Not too shabby.