Prepare for a movie-night revolution. What if there were no more jockeying for the popcorn bowl or wrestling for ill-popped kernels? A popcorn company has taken snacking to the next level, inventing a machine that launches a kernel on your command, right at your mouth.
Popcorn Indiana has worked up an automated, voice-controlled popcorn launcher that hurls popcorn at your mouth every time you speak the word “pop.” The machine uses a binaural microphone to detect sound waves and can figure out the requester’s location to launch a buttery, popped kernel in your direction. It only flings one piece at a time, though, so don’t assume it will fulfill the salt and butter quota of a hearty handful of popcorn. Plus, a slight error of the mechanical arm and you’ll find yourself diving for a piece of popcorn. There’s a bit of a workout involved, it seems, but that only adds to its playfulness.
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We might not be playing anytime soon, though. According to Mashable, the Popinator is just currently a prototype developed by the company. There is no word when the product might be sold or how much it would cost. “It is purely a fun internal project we are toying with,” Popcorn Indiana said in a statement to Engadget.
We just hope movie theaters won’t catch on. That could cause quite a mess.
Erica Ho is a contributor at TIME and the editor of Map Happy. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.