A HIGH-TEC electric kettle invented by two engineers with strong Bradford links will go on sale later this week after more than two years in development.

Inventors Robert Hill and Richard Hill (no relation) are anticipating big demand for their new Appkettle after a significant number of pre-orders and interest from around the world.

The appliance, which retails for £129 will go on sale through the company’s website at the end of this week and will also be available through Amazon and Ebay.

The duo, now based in the North East, are also in talks with two leading national UK retailers about stocking the Appkettle in stores.

Robert Hill said: “ The first shipment of products has arrived and we are ready to start fulfilling orders and selling the Appkettle online. We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest from across Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan.”

Bradford-born Robert Hill and former Bingley resident Richard Hill, who met whilst studying engineering at university, have developed the world’s first cloud based kettle, which can be used anywhere securely and safely through Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G.

Robert had the idea for the Appkettle while visiting family an Bradford and teamed up with Richard to create the ground-breaking appliance which is produced by a Hong Kong-based manufacturer which makes leading branded goods..

They raised development finance through crowdfunding and from three commercial backers , working with leading smart technology specialists and product developers , including Cambridge-based Sagentia:

The Appkettle is controlled via a “live” smartphone app, with variable temperature control, smart scheduling, timing and keep-warm features and reduced energy usage.

Robert once kettle sales were growing the duo will look at applying the technology to other appliances such as smart coffee machines, water heaters and tea makers.