Inventors are still trying to breathe new life into the concept of caffeine inhalers, with a Harvard professor the latest entrepreneur to come up with a device that delivers instant hits of caffeine and energy.

The AeroShot, which is set to launch early next year, is a small, portable tube-like device that contains 100 mg of caffeine — the same amount as one large cup of coffee, says inventor David Edwards.

Caffeine inhalers are a byproduct of the energy drink craze and began emerging on scene at the peak of the drink’s popularity. Starbucks created a prototype that was piloted in 2006 and delivered minty blasts of caffeine. There’s also Buzzaire which likewise delivers metered, 150 mg of caffeine under a mint spray.

Unlike these devices which look like medical inhalers used by asthmatics and delivered caffeine bursts in spray form, the AeroShot is decidedly sleeker in design in a grey and yellow tube. Users pull one end to open the tube and gently puff in the fine powder that dissolves instantly in the mouth. Each AeroShot gives six to eight puffs.

Edwards is also the nose behind Le Whif, which was touted as the world’s first inhalable vitamin when it launched earlier this year. Similar in design to the AeroShot, the lipstick-like tube delivers inhalable vitamins that have been ground into aerosolized particles. Eight puffs reportedly provide 100 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and B5.

For more info, visit http://aeroshots.com/.