Robert Adler, inventor of the television remote control, died recently at the age of 93, leaving behind a raft of glowing obituaries and a world of ever-thankful couch potatoes.
John Cornwell, recent Duke University graduate, can now expect the same adoration when his time comes thanks to his having invented undoubtedly the greatest advancement in TV accessorizing since Adler’s remarkable breakthrough.
Behold, in all of its glory, Cornwell’s “Beer Launching Fridge.”
On his Web site, Cornwell explains the genesis of the BLF:
Have you ever gotten up off the couch to get a beer for the umpteenth time and thought, “What if instead of ME going to get the BEER, the BEER came to ME?’ “
Who hasn’t had that thought? Yet aside from the owners of those specially trained beer-fetching dogs of TV commercial fame, the rest of us have gone thirsting for a solution. Until now. Cornwell continues:
Well, that was how I first conceived of the beer launching fridge. About 3 months and several hundred dollars later I have a fully automated, remote controlled, catapulting, man-pit approved, beer launching mini-fridge. It holds 10 beers in its magazine with 14 more in reserve to store a full case. It is controlled by a keyless entry system. Pressing unlock will start the catapult rotating and when it is aiming at your target, pressing unlock again will stop it. Then the lock button can be pressed to launch a beer in the selected direction.
Excuse me while I dab a tear of joy. Here are a few of the geeky details:
Almost all of the raw materials for the refrigerator were purchased from McMaster-Carr, some motors came from Jameco, and the switches/potentiometer were purchased at RadioShack. In total the beer launching refrigerator uses 3 limit switches. Two of which are triggered when the elevator reaches the top or bottom of its travel, and one is triggered when the catapult arm is fully cocked. I also have a potentiometer that is connected to the rotating catapult platform. The voltage across the potentiometer is read by the microcontroller to sense the angle of the catapult platform.
You will not want to miss the video.
This is so amazing that I’m willing to forgive Cornwell’s otherwise unforgivable choice of beer: Yes, if a refrigerator tosses it to me, I will drink even a Miller Lite.
