The Popcorn, Indiana 'Popinator' Uses Voice Detection to Launch Snacks
Wes Walcott — September 18, 2012 — Tech
References: popcornindiana & foodbeast
Popcorn has always been the snack of choice when it comes to throwing food in the air and catching it in your mouth, and now, thanks to the Popcorn, Indiana 'Popinator,' you can have twice the fun without even using your hands.
The Popinator is the world’s first fully automated, voice-activated popcorn shooter. Triggered whenever someone says the word “pop,” the Popinator utilizes a binaural microphone system to calculate subtle differences in the arrival times of sound waves and their reflections. This, in effect, allows it to determine where a sound originated from and then fire a piece of popcorn at the appropriate trajectory from up to 15 feet away.
Although ravenous snackers that eat popcorn by the handful might hate that the machine only dispenses one piece of popcorn at a time, the ability to launch food in your mouth from across the room at any time should provide at least a little consolation.
The Popinator is the world’s first fully automated, voice-activated popcorn shooter. Triggered whenever someone says the word “pop,” the Popinator utilizes a binaural microphone system to calculate subtle differences in the arrival times of sound waves and their reflections. This, in effect, allows it to determine where a sound originated from and then fire a piece of popcorn at the appropriate trajectory from up to 15 feet away.
Although ravenous snackers that eat popcorn by the handful might hate that the machine only dispenses one piece of popcorn at a time, the ability to launch food in your mouth from across the room at any time should provide at least a little consolation.
Trend Themes
1. Automated Snacking Machines - The development of fully-automated and voice-activated snack dispensers could revolutionize the convenience food industry.
2. Voice-activated Technology - The integration of voice-activation technology into snack dispensers could pave the way for new applications in other industries such as home automation or healthcare.
3. Precision Dispensing - The use of binaural microphones to calculate precise trajectory and distance measurements could be applied to other industries requiring precision dispensing, such as pharmaceuticals and chemical manufacturing.
Industry Implications
1. Convenience Food - Automated snacking machines often require minimal human input, which could increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the convenience food industry.
2. Home Automation - The use of voice-activation technology in snack dispensers could be expanded to include other home automation applications, such as smart speakers or thermostats.
3. Pharmaceuticals - The precise dispensing technology used in automated snack machines could be adapted for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing, potentially increasing accuracy and reducing waste.
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