3D printers have been starting to make some waves in the real world and are no longer restricted to the world of big businesses. For a few hundred dollars, you can make your own via the RepRap.org Open Source project (or get funding through Kickstarter!). But now these devices are making their way into the kitchen with CBC reporting that Cornell University is using them to make food into interesting shapes.
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has teamed up with French Culinary Institute to merge technology with food in a project called fab@home. The project is still in its infancy but Dave Arnold, director of culinary technology at the school, said that he is "most excited about the possibility of creating textures and foods that have never been experienced before." Instead of simply making a 3D version of foods we already eat, he wants to use the technology to create unique combinations of taste and texture on the food.
The process for food printing appears to work the same as normal 3D printing. The printer has containers filled with different types of food, CAD software is used to create a design that uses the different foods, and the printer creates the masterpiece. They"ve even made small space shuttles made of scallops and cheese to celebrate the last mission of Space Shuttle Discovery.
While this technology will probably never be in an individual"s home, the potential for these unique creations in upscale restaurants could become very interesting.