Automatic Thermostatic Imbiber

27 Jan 2019
Progress: Concept

A metal drinking straw with several decorative loop-the-loops in the mid-section. Each looping pathway is spaced out radially, so the overall effect is of a wireframe toroid at the halfway mark of the straw.

Hidden in the middle of this elegant mess of tube is a valve block. Each loop can be switched in and out of the fluid route by means of a series of bimetallic disks. Each one trips at a slightly different temperature along the scale from "Youch!" to "Aaah". At one extreme, liquid travels through every loop sequentially. At the other, it bypasses them all and heads straight for the gob.

Assuming all of the mechanical details can be worked out, and some system to keep the temperature-sensing parts close to the coffee while keeping the valve block at a distance (possibly involving pushrods) can be devised, the result should be an automatic thermostatic drinking device that selectively cools your cuppa to always hit "Aaah".