We all have been hearing about the Internet of Things and Internet-connected refrigerators – fridges that tweet, fridges that suggest recipes, etc. Ryan Rusnak took that concept one stop further by strapping an air cannon to a to a mini-fridge and adding Internet control with an ioBridge module. Using an iPhone, Ryan’s creation allows someone to select a beer, aim the fridge, and shoot the beer across the room — a truly remarkable invention. And in addition, Ryan is able to monitor and control the temperature of the fridge to make sure his choice beers are staying cold.

Ryan released the beer cannon around New Years 2011, and since then, he has captured the imaginations of TV producers behind great shows on the Science Channel, Discovery, and The History Channel. The producers were creating a new series called, JUNKies for the Science Channel, where people turn junk into new things. They wanted to recreate Ryan’s mini-fridge beer cannon as part of one of the episodes. Hopefully, this episode will introduce the mainstream into Internet-control of things and inspire a whole new crop of innovations.

The “beer cannon” episode of JUNKies premieres on the Science Channel on September 8, 2011 at 10pm (EST). For more information about JUNKies, visit the Science Channel website.

Congrats, Ryan!