h a l f b a k e r yStill more entertaining than cricket.
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
The sharp, thin memory alloy pick is pressed through the cork, keeping it above the surface of the wine. At the push of a button, the tip heats up causing it to bend sideways. Pull out the cork.
The competition.
http://froogle.goog...&tab=ff&oi=froogler [daseva, Jun 03 2005]
Please log in.
If you're not logged in,
you can see what this page
looks like, but you will
not be able to add anything.
Annotation:
|
|
Yeah, cause I was getting really sick of those "rabbit" corkscrews. |
|
|
How does the tip get heated? |
|
|
Much like a soldering iron, I'd imagine. |
|
|
Resistive heating of nitinol, for instance, causes it to shrink in linear dimension by 5-10%. I'm not so sure that it can be made to "bend sideways" with enough strength to pull a cork. Might require a hinged tip of (for instance) stainless steel, actuated sideways by the nitinol. |
|
|
Thin strips of Nitinol have resistances on the order of a few Ohms, suitable to create a few Watts from a few Volts (i.e. AA batteries.) This should be able to create a 40-50 degree C temperature rise, and suitable shrinkage. |
|
| |