Yummy! – MIT creates a 3D food printer concept

Last Updated on June 6, 2013 by Christian Ralph

With today’s technology, 3D printers are becoming more common around the office. For example, they are often being used to create solid prototypes for parts in engineering. In some extremes, 3D printers are even being used in experiments to see if they can print human body parts, like heart valves. I guess it was only inevitable that eventually someone would come up with an idea to use a 3D printer in order to create a meal.

Created by the gastronomy geeks at MIT, a device called the Cornucopia could be used to open a new chapter in high-tech cuisine. To begin, their concept edible creation device stores food ingredients in refrigerated canisters, similar to the idea of standard ink cartridges.

When a user programs a food order on the device, the printer dispenses the appropriate amount of ingredients into a built-in mixer which delivers concoctions that can be either heated or cooled thanks to a temperature controlled print head. The meal is then assembled or rather printed layer-by-layer onto a serving tray below. Users can even dial in custom orders thanks a touch screen with Internet connectivity that allows people to tweak their food orders according taste and nutritional requirements.