My toaster would have an extremely strong Infra-red emitter (infra-red laser?) connected to a Micromirror chip and lens. Infrared energy would bounce of the chip and after passing through a lens to scale the "image", strike the object to be toasted. A microcamera would watch the toast and adjust the mirrors so areas growing darker would receive less energy (and the inverse). Every toast would come out perfectly even. A slider on the outside of the toaster would match a gradiated color bar. You set the slider to the desired darkness, and a perfect match in toast comes out.

A similar setup could be done with a grid of infrared emitters if the Micromirror chip could not tolerate the heat of the environment. Maybe fiberoptics if that was too expensive.
-- trekbody, Sep 28 2005

so you couldn't imprint "mummy loves you" with a spoon - shame on you!
-- po, Sep 28 2005


No, but maybe you could add computer control to print an object / design / religious icon, etc. Appreciate the gridgriddle link, but mine's a toaster, I like toasters.
-- trekbody, Sep 29 2005


This would take all the fun out of making toast. There's nothing so boring as perfection. Still, you would probably make a fortune if you built it.
-- kaeru, Sep 29 2005


i assume the only thing u want to toast is bread ? is it ? if so, why don't u use a pre-toasting press-machine to shape _t h e___b r e a d_ in order to perfectly fit the classic toast system ? not to mention that electronic measurements are simply _ w r o n g _ when the system performing the measurement is placed in a wide - temperature - variation - environment, that is, of course, if u leave aside the possibility that u've got NASA - the - technology - god to design it..
-- sweet, Sep 30 2005


Might want to toast some other goodies like Toaster Strudels and the like, so I don't want to reform the toast. I like the halogen idea - wonder if you could concentrate and reflect the energy with a lens/micromirror.

OR - you have a standard toaster but instead of the metal cage, you have a sheet of liquid crystal between the toastable and the heating elements. A camera watches the toasting item and masks the area if it is getting too dark in certain spots. Then you could even "Toast" the designs onto the substrate - Jesus Grilled Cheese anyone?
-- trekbody, Oct 03 2005



random, halfbakery