If the names Wallace & Gromit are not familiar you should make it a point to get to know them. Several years ago some friends gave us a box set of three episodes. We were hooked. Wallace is an inventor in the tradition of the absent minded professor. Gromit, his dog, usually fixes the wayward invention.
I saw a machine that made me think of Wallace today. It was an automated soda / beverage dispensing machine. The cup drops onto the conveyor belt, goes for a short ride to the correct beverage. The beverage gently dispenses incrementaly depending on the size of the beverage. Once filled, the conveyor carries it around where an employee places a lid on the beverage. What? You can make such a cool machine and not automate the placement of the lid?
There are many such inventions that amaze and amuse me. I’m always thinking about the thought process behind such inventions.
"What we need to do is save 15 seconds by building a machine that will
cost thousands of dollars and require regular maintenance and
adjustments."
I also tend to think, how could we use this technology at church? So how about automated communion dispensers? Something that slides out (and makes the sound of a cd rom tray ejecting) from the pew in front of you?
I won’t even start about the wonderful machine nestled within the heart of your local Krispy Kreme. That machine is close to Greg’s heart and thus he, and he alone, should share.
6 Responses to “Automation”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
August 30th, 2006 at 9:52 am
When I lived in France we had vending machines at school where you could punch in what kind of coffee you wanted (regular, espresso, sugary, etc) and a little dixie cup would drop down and fill up. It didn’t have lids at all but I was still fascinated. I also found a vending machine in Cannes that was about 10′x10′ and had everything from candy to milk to toilet paper. Vive la folie!
August 30th, 2006 at 11:20 am
I loved the were-rabbit. W and G are great inventors, but the movie itself is not automated… They do it all by hand. So there is a bit of irony in the movies.
August 30th, 2006 at 11:47 am
Recently on the Travel Channel, there was an episode about million dollar bathrooms that were equipped to everything, I mean EVERYTHING, for you by automation. Well, almost everything………..
August 30th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Cue the “Captain (Jean Luc Picard for you “Next Generation Fans) Kirk voice†– “This is the story of the “Beverage Dispensing Machine.†It’s 5 year mission, to dispense beverages into containers suitable for mass consumption of mass (sorry for the SNL shift) quantities of liquids suitable for human use and consumption. Maybe in 5 years we’ll figure out a way to tweak this sucker so we can “blow the lid†off the human equation to our existence. Resistance (back to Next Generation) is futile!â€
August 30th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Gee, thanks for the set-up. Now I’m really on the spot to come up with something clever, cute, and interesting. I’m not sure I’m up to the task. Maybe a quick trip to KK will help me out.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
I wonder how much time they spent trying to invent a machine that would save 15 seconds. I too am amazed that we are always trying to save time in our world, yet we never seem to have enough of it.
Steven Wright, a really funny comedian, said once that he put instant coffee in a microwave oven. he said he almost went back int time. Ha!!