Posted on 05/21/2013 10:57:57 AM PDT by LibWhacker
on May 21, 2013 07:24 am
NASA is funding research into 3D-printed food. As Quartz reveals, Mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor received a $125,000 grant from the agency to build a prototype 3D printer with the aim of automating food creation. It's hoped the system could provide astronauts food during long-distance space travel, but its creator has the loftier aim of solving the increasing food shortages around the world by cutting down on waste. The software for the printer will be open-source, while the hardware is based on the open-source RepRap Mendel 3D printer.
The concept is to use basic "building blocks" of food in replaceable powder cartridges. By combining each block, a wide range of foods should be able to be created by the printer. The cartridges will have a lifespan of 30 years, more than long enough to enable long-distance space travel. After proving his system works on a basic level by printing chocolate, Contractor will start his project within the next few weeks by attempting to print a pizza.
The pizza printer will first print a layer of dough, which will be cooked while being printed, before mixing tomato powder with water and oil to print a tomato sauce. The topping for the pizza will be a nondescript "protein layer." It's early days for the project, but if it's successful it would be a real milestone on the way towards a Star Trek-style Replicator.
Yeah, I had a spam pizza on a job site in Yemen. I don't intend to repeat the experience.
I think the first 3D printers used Chocolate
The pizza in Rockford, Illinois tastes like it came out of a printer already. I hadn’t realized how technologically advanced the city’s technology is.
Soylent Green?
Star Trek was better at predictions than a lot of the so-called “futurists”...:^)
This technology will have arrived when it can make bacon.
Reconstituted powdered nutrients. Yum!
Print bacon directly on your tongue, I can see it.
Nondescript protein layer....it’s what’s for dinner.
This is a NASA project.
Creating bacon would interfere with their muslim outreach program.
/johnny
It will be funded by the “small change” from a trillion dollar coin.
Mrs. AV
Can it print a bottle of Chianti?
why not just call Round Table for delivery?
I think its called an “oven.”
Somewhere out there is an evil NASA ga-nome who’s working on printing out anchovies.
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