The Magic Party Cup!

How it Works & What it Does:

The Magic Party Cup is powered by three AAA batteries and is controlled by a Cricket, a device similar to a Handyboard in that the programming must be first created on a computer and then downloaded to the Cricket. The PicoBlocks computer program was used to write the all of the programming for the Magic Party Cup.

The Cricket is the “brain” of the Magic Party Cup and tells the motor when to turn on to blend the beverage, when to play a song, and when to turn on the Magic Lights. The Cricket is triggered by a variety of different sensors. For instance, when the “on” button is pressed, the blender begins blending and the muted Magic Lights go off for a set amount of time. When the electric connection between the beverage and the two sensors on the interior of the cup is broken (i.e. when the beverage is finished), the Cricket knows to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and set off the bright Magic Party Lights. A final sensor relies on infrared lights, so when the Cricket detects infrared from an outside source, an alarm sounds.

The Magic Party Cup has a variety of interesting functions that make drinking anything from chocolate milk to a gin fizz exciting and fun!