Popcorn can be a fantastically healthy potato chip alternative, but it always ends up playing second fiddle. So in an attempt to finally claim snack world supremecy, a company called Popcorn Indiana has created the Popinator, a voice-activated kernel cannon that promises to be the perfect weapon to finally dethrone chips — if it ever becomes a reality.
Developed by the mad scientists that Popcorn Indiana seemingly employs to stay on the cutting edge of corn innovation, the Popinator automatically fires a single kernel in the direction of anyone who says the word “pop”. It uses a set of binaural microphones to not only pinpoint from what direction the word was spoken, but how far away the person is so that the piece of popcorn is always on target.
It’s not 100 per cent accurate — and maybe not 100 per cent real, given how viral marketing-ish this whole thing feels — but popcorn doesn’t exactly have the most aerodynamic shape. And manoeuvring your mouth into position to actually catch a tossed kernel is half the fun, isn’t it?
[Popcorn Indiana via Engadget via Reddit]