100 years after pop-up toasters debuted, Breville might finally have improved on the original design with the high-tech – and pricey – Eye Q

Breville Eye Q toaster beside a plate of half-eaten toast and a glass of juice.

Toaster design hasn't really changed in the 100 years since the pop-up version was first introduced. They’re still built around temperature sensors and timers – despite the explosion of bread varieties available today. And that means the standard toaster doesn't necessarily cook fruit breads or sourdoughs as it would the plain white slice.

Breville – the makers of some of the best coffee machines – reckons it’s come up with a solution in the form of the Breville Eye Q, the Australian brand’s new toaster that uses a proprietary optical sensor that judges your toast’s doneness by the color of the bread. In other words, it uses ‘sight’ to achieve the perfect toast.