Well, that’s what a team of mechanical engineers at MIT has done. Because, you know, they certainly had nothing better to do. So they combined their smarts to build a device to study and perfect the art of separating an Oreo cookie. The subject matter is called Oreology, and the resulting device is called the Oreometer.
The Oreometer consists of two clamps between which an Oreo cookie is placed. Rubber bands on the clamps adjust the torque applied to the wafers when the machine twists the cookie. Each clamp has a chamber for pennies on the side, and when one is filled it causes the machine to twist the cookie apart. “Our favorite twist was rotating while pulling Oreos apart from one side, as a kind of peel-and-twist, which was the most reliable for getting a very clean break,” said Crystal Owens, a mechanical engineer at MIT.
You can view the open source code here if you’re so inclined to build your own Oreometer.
