A mini-fridge that tosses you cold beer at the push of a button-the idea may seem like a sci-fi pipe-dream to college-aged couch potatoes.
The dream, however, just became a reality.
John Cornwell, Pratt '06, came up with the idea for a beer-launching refrigerator six months ago and has since spent approximately 150 hours designing and building its prototype.
"I was on my couch one day, and I wanted a beer and didn't feel like getting up to get one," he said. "I hyped the idea up to my friends so much, I had to build it."
A video of the fridge was put up on the website Metacafe and Cornwell's own site, www.beerlauncher.com, but Cornwell said the invention gained a surge in popularity when it was posted on Digg, a website that rates online news, videos and podcasts.
"It's only been a week, and it already has more than half a million views on just one site," he said.
Although Cornwell has invented a number of other electronic products in his spare time-including a tennis ball launcher that shoots balls at up to 500 miles per hour-he said the fridge has been his most popular creation.
And the beer-tossing machine has sparked particular attention on Duke's campus, where the video of it in action has been e-mailed through fraternity listservs and shared between students.
"I just heard about it from a friend who was watching it during class," said sophomore Jordan Hosmer-Hemmer. "I thought it epitomized the mix at Duke between skill and technical endeavors and just wanting to have fun."
As a result of the widespread interest, Cornwell said, he has fielded calls from about 100 to 150 people who are interested in owning a beer-launching fridge of their own.
"I'm thinking about selling them for around $1,500 each but only with a limited supply of about 10 to 15," he said.
Although the fridge works perfectly in its online video, the machine is not without its kinks. In particular, the movement of the launching arm may cause significant pressure to the carbonated liquid in the can.
"About 50 percent of the people I've talked to are concerned about that," Cornwell said. "It does shake the beer up, but if you catch it with soft hands, it's not going to foam. It totally depends on who's catching it."
Despite its flaws, however, the popularity of the fridge has caused Cornwell to receive attention from both the entertainment and brewing industries.
"I have been contacted by a late-night TV show and Miller Brewing Company," he said. "Obviously, my dream would be to have it in a commercial, but that's still a long shot." No matter how well the fridge fares in the commercial marketplace, however, Cornwell still appreciates how well it performs the task it was originally intended for-launching beers.
"The most rewarding feeling I have is when I'm watching a Duke basketball game and I actually use it for its intended use," he said.
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