The Pentagon spent $170K on a study called 'Walking with coffee: Why does it spill?'

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/ES6FTJ3m.png


The Pentagon spent $170K on a study called 'Walking with coffee: Why does it spill?'

If you walk carrying an uncovered cup of coffee, it will probably spill.

To unravel the great mysteries of this phenomenon, the Pentagon gave $170,000 to researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The grant was made through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, whose mission is "to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security."

In a resultant study entitled, "Walking with coffee: Why does it spill?" the scientists found that "in the walking with coffee problem the motions of the human body, while seemingly regular, are quite complex and are coupled to a coffee cup and liquid therein, which makes it difficult to unravel the precise reasons behind coffee spilling."

They ultimately determined differences like "common cup sizes, the coffee properties, and the biomechanics of walking [are] responsible for the spilling phenomenon."

http://theweek.com/speedreads/627724/pentagon-spent-170k-study-called-walking-coffee-why-does-spill

[Zippyjuan]

I thought it was gravity.

[TheTexan]

Only 170k?

That's quite the bargain.

[TheCount]

I thought it was gravity.

I think you mean intelligent falling.

[AZJoe]

The government study’s results were inconclusive. It determined there was a 30% probability gravity is the culprit; 15% probability wind; 50% probability of user error; 35% probability the container; and an 85% probability it is the Russian’s fault.

[Suzanimal]

The government study’s results were inconclusive. It determined there was a 30% probability gravity is the culprit; 15% probability wind; 50% probability of user error; 35% probability the container; and an 85% probability it is the Russian’s fault.

It's the vodka.

[Danke]

Only 170k?

That's quite the bargain.

True, hopefully they will get the same bargain on the tea study.

[acptulsa]

Only 170k?

That's quite the bargain.

By federal government standards, it would have been quite a bargain...


The government study’s results were inconclusive. It determined there was a 30% probability gravity is the culprit; 15% probability wind; 50% probability of user error; 35% probability the container; and an 85% probability it is the Russian’s fault.

...had they actually answered the damned question.

[Zippyjuan]

The government study’s results were inconclusive. It determined there was a 30% probability gravity is the culprit; 15% probability wind; 50% probability of user error; 35% probability the container; and an 85% probability it is the Russian’s fault.

Fair is fair. Russia also likes to blame everything on the US.

[Danke]

http://i.imgur.com/ES6FTJ3m.png


Is that chick naked? And walking with hot coffee?

[Origanalist]

Is that chick naked? And walking with hot coffee?

It looks like she's wearing boots, so no, not naked.

[Danke]

It looks like she's wearing boots, so no, not naked.

Thanks for pointing that out, I totally missed it.

[fisharmor]

I remember a TV commercial in the late 80s that went through various federal grants... one was a study on the flow rate of catsup.

So if the general public has known of such chicanery for 30 years, I think we need to get over it, because nobody cares.

[fisharmor]

Thanks for pointing that out, I totally missed it.

Liar.

[Voluntarist]

xxxxx

[Ronin Truth]

Cup too full and walking too fast without a lid on the cup?

Next!

[BV2]

If this is legit, I believe its called "cooking the books." The Pentagon doesn't give a shit about yuppies spilling overpriced, garbage, coffee. But, then, I could be wrong. Maybe be some other things they've spent money on-funds that might one day need to be accounted for-that arn't so easy for the ubiquitous boobus to -er...hmmmm...- swallow.

[Zippyjuan]

If this is legit, I believe its called "cooking the books." The Pentagon doesn't give a $#@! about yuppies spilling overpriced, garbage, coffee. But, then, I could be wrong. Maybe be some other things they've spent money on-funds that might one day need to be accounted for-that arn't so easy for the ubiquitous boobus to -er...hmmmm...- swallow.

It could be useful in robotics- designing robots to transport things without spilling them.


the scientists found that "in the walking with coffee problem the motions of the human body, while seemingly regular, are quite complex and are coupled to a coffee cup and liquid therein, which makes it difficult to unravel the precise reasons behind coffee spilling."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tixiiicrugg

[BV2]

Then why wouldn't they use a less expensive liquid (that also seeks its own level) such as water? Robot go-fors, perhaps?

Or, better yet, a gyroscope! That way they'd only have to buy them (or one) once?

Really Zip? You couldn't come up with a better, more efficient, and less expensive, way to study those complex reactions?

[KEEF]

Well to their defense, my chances of getting burned by coffee is about 1000x more likely than any terrorist blowing me up, but the Pentagon still wastes trillions of dollars on their Middle East excursions.

[loveshiscountry]

It could be useful in robotics- designing robots to transport things without spilling them.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TixiiicruggCouldn't those transportable things just have lids on them?

[DamianTV]

The answer to their question isnt quite so common sense, but that same lack of common sense kept them from thinking about the answer for themselves. They should have paid me elevendy brazillian dollarz to tell them what color blue is. That same lack of common sense is what causes people with more money (yours) than they know what to do with to spend on worthless shit.

Welcome to the world where being wasteful is incentivized.

[libertyjam]

I'll just leave this here-


https://media.giphy.com/media/xT8qBrWLJjw2S63LGg/giphy.gif