What Will They Think Of Next?!
Posted by VickyC on January 24th, 2010
MIT's 3D Food Printer
Did any of you see the movie “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” or “Soylent Green”? Well, this invention by a pair of MIT students is making the ideas in these movies the stuff of reality. Marcelo Coelho and Amit Zoran developed a machine that has the ability to produce something edible and close in taste to what you “ordered”. The 3D printer is able to mix flavours and foods that are stored in canisters and it has the ability to rapidly heat and cool which enables the creation of flavour and texture that is not possible through traditional cooking techniques.
Scared yet? It sounds like those MRE (Meals, Ready – Eat) field rations that they give service people when they’re out in combat when there is no actual food available. Doesn’t sound too palatable if you ask me. Or too healthy. Sure they can pump it full of whatever percentage of vitamins and stuff you need every day, but when it comes down to it, you can’t just eat processed stuff and then expect to make up for it with vitamins…?! I mean, MRE’s can be stored for up to 15 years – if kept in the right conditions.. I wonder what the shelf life for these canisters will be…! Or if they’ll be as costly as actual printer cartridges!!
I’m sure McDonalds and KFC will be first up to order the first 10,000 units.. Hey, maybe this will mean the end of the drive-thru attendant who cannot seem to get your order right. With that being said, you really have to have a liberal definition of the word “food” to be able to include this device under that category…
Well, the good thing about this 3D food printer is that once robots take over the world, we’ll still have a reliable food source! But I’m not sure if a 3D food printing machine will be safe to use when the robot apocalypse happens.. the “food” might over mutate and start chasing you or something!
Go watch “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs”!! “CHEESEBURGER!!!!!”
Machine from "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs"
Tags: 3D Printer, Amit Zoran, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Concept, Marcelo Coelho, MIT, MRE, Soylent Green, Tech, Technology, VickyC, VickyC.me
Thanks for “feeding” me such info. Very interesting article!