Thermoacoustics behind all-in-one cooker, fridge, and generator

Sure, building up a campfire in order to roast some eats in the wilderness could be fun for awhile, but for the reported "two billion people that use open fires as their primary cooking method," we're sure it loses its luster somewhere along the line. The University of Nottingham is hoping to change all that, however, by attempting to develop an all-in-one gizmo that acts as a "cooker, a fridge, and a generator," and relies on biomass fuels for energy. The £2 million ($3.96 million) SCORE (Stove for Cooking, Refrigeration and Electricity) project seeks to create a "wood-powered generator capable of both cooking and cooling food," and it will purportedly rely on thermoacoustics to cut down on pollutants, increase efficiency, and be more reliable to future consumers in Africa and Asia. No word just yet on when this newfangled kitchen appliance will be ready to ship, but a portable version would probably do quite well in the camping market.

[Via CNET]

[Aaron @ May 16th 2007 10:41PM]

OK, how much do you want to bet that people who get this are just going to start burning whatever they find to keep their drinks cool or something? Fire hazards and pollution concerns aside though... I want one.

[jay @ May 17th 2007 3:13PM]

well they need to be able to boil water and you cant do that with dung/twigs/grass. Yes they will be able to keep a few pepsi's cold and charge a battery for a light or two and even cook thinly sliced food..But will it boil water? If your drinking from a dirty puddle the above improvements mean little.