Building a Functional, Energy-Efficient Refrigerator
Engineers at Purdue University designed and tested a potentially space-friendly refrigerator. The team tested their fridge on parabolic flights to simulate a microgravity environment.
Recently, a team of researchers from Purdue University, Air Squared Inc. and Whirlpool Corporation overcame these challenges to design a fridge for space, adapting the cooling technology of a household fridge to make what they claim to be the most energy-efficient model for space. Theirs has the storage capacity of a microwave and reaches temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, it uses water cooling to compensate where Earth’s natural convection would have helped to remove heat from a fridge’s backend. After three years of tests, the microgravity-proof contraption is ready to be deployed on missions. Not only will the appliance extend the shelf life of space food, but it will also give long-term space travelers a few more options in what they consume, and how.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
