The world’s first levitating cocktail machine has been created using sound waves to levitate tiny droplets of incredibly potent alcohol which you lick out of the air. Created by the award winning Edible Inventor Charlie Harry Francis in collaboration with Professor Bruce Drinkwater of Bristol University, the ‘Levitron’ uses ultrasonic sound waves to create a levitating field which traps tiny alcohol droplets and floats them in mid air.
Charlie says, “It’s a pretty powerful machine, so far we’ve made a levitating Gin and Tonic at 70% proof and a levitating Bloody Mary cocktail using Vodka at 160% proof which will blow your socks off.”
The Levitron is the first step in a wider project to create contactless cutlery, next the team are going to look at levitating popcorn and eventually they want to be able to float an entire roast meal into your mouth. They’re also working to get the price of the machine down as the current set up costs around £30K.
Bruce says, “Sound waves, even in the form of your voice have an inherent amount of power. The Levitron uses very powerful sound waves in the ultrasonic spectrum which crucially are beyond the range of human hearing, otherwise it would seriously damage your ears when the machine was switched on.”
Bruce is the professor of Ultrasonics at Bristol University, specialising in Ultrasonics; Non-Destructive Testing (NDT); Ultrasonic Arrays and Ultrasonic Particle Manipulation. He is also the head of the Ultrasonics and Non-Destructive testing research group.
Charlie is the founder of experimental events company Lick Me I’m Delicious, home of the Nitro Ice Cream Buggy, Edible Mist Machines, Ice Cream Pottery Gramophone Wheel, Instant Lollipop Maker, Soup Washing Machine and birthplace of the World’s first glow in the dark ice cream which glows as you lick it.
Lick Me I’m Delicious specialise in making awesome food inventions. They are currently developing (amongst other things) a Jellybean Waterfall, Whirlwind Popcorn Storm and Edible Aftershave range.