Hands-free Snacking Robot Arm: More Like a Hands-free Slapping Robot Arm

Posted on 17/06/2014 by Conner Flynn

Sometimes innovation means being smacked in the face repeatedly by a robot arm that is trying to feed you Cheetos. It is just the price of innovation. No pain, no gain.

The Robotic Arm MK II ‘hands-free snacking and gaming device’ clearly needs some work. It will hold your snack food, even bring it to your face. The problem is that it wants to smack you repeatedly with your snack foods. I think these guys just invented the ultimate diet tool. Check out the hilarious video of the robot in action below:

It is a great viral ad for Mattessons snack foods, but also a cautionary tale. Do not let robots feed you. Ever.

[via Geekologie]

Pepsi-Flavored Cheetos are a Thing

Posted on 13/08/2013 by Paul Strauss

Japan is home to a number of unusual foods, but one thing I never imagined there’d be a market for was Cheetos that taste like Pepsi. Then again, I once accidentally dipped my movie popcorn into my Diet Coke, and it was delicious. That whole salty/sweet combo thing, I suppose.

pepsi cheetos shuwa shuwa cola

I’m assuming some management consultant decided this would be a good idea as a way to bring Frito Lay and Pepsi closer together, since they’re both owned by PepsiCo. This unconventional puffed corn snack food not only has Pepsi flavoring, but have been given a fizzy and crackling sensation which sounds a bit like toned-down Pop Rocks. According to Steve over at The Impulsive Buy, they actually smelled a bit like powdered cinnamon donuts, with a hint of a flat cola aroma.

Apparently, there’s no cheese flavor at all on these Cheetos (so much for the salty/sweet theory), and instead kist a strange Pepsi-ish flavor that’s a bit too lemony to be accurate.

If you happen to live in Japan, you can find a 12-pack over at Kenko for ¥1575 (~$16 USD), but for the rest of the world, we have been spared of this delicacy for now.

[via The Impulsive Buy via Foodbeast]

The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product)

Posted on 17/09/2012 by Jon Fingas

Before you ask: it looks like the real deal. Popcorn, Indiana has decided that it's just too much trouble to reach into that bag or bowl and has devised the Popinator, quite possibly the world's only smart popcorn launcher. A binaural microphone array on the machine's front listens for a clear "pop" command -- say the magic word and the Popinator will aim one of its many corn projectiles at your mouth, no hands required. We're still working to glean all the details, such as whether or not the snack delivery vehicle will be a commercial project and how much money it would take to install one at home (and, we'll admit it, the Engadget offices). In the meantime, you can hop past the break to catch one of the most appetizing and laid-back promo videos you've likely ever seen.

[Thanks, Peter]

Update: Popcorn, Indiana has answered back and says the Popinator is currently an in-house project, but it may well become something you can buy if everything lines up. We'll let the full statement speak for itself:

"All we have to say is: it is a work in progress right now. We certainly hope that one day it will become a commercial project, but as of now there is no shipping date and no price tag. It is purely a fun internal project we are toying with here at Popcorn Indiana. Based on the very positive responses we are getting online, we think this is well worth looking into as a commercial product."

Continue reading The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product)

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The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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