As further proof that you can now 3D-print anything, a
company called Natural Machines has introduced a 3D
printer for food.
The "Foodini," as it's called, isn't too different from a
regular 3D printer, but instead of printing with plastics,
it deploys edible ingredients squeezed out of stainless
steel capsules: "It's the same technology," says Lynette
Kucsma, co-founder of Natural Machines, "but with
plastics there's just one melting point, whereas with
food it's different temperatures, consistencies and
textures. Also, gravity works a little bit against us, as
food doesn't hold the shape as well as plastic."
At the Web Summit technology conference in Dublin,
the Barcelona-based startup is showing off the
machine, which it says is the only one of its kind
capable of printing a wide range of dishes, from sweet
to savoury.
"In essence, this is a mini food manufacturing plant
shrunk down to the size of an oven," Kucsma said,
pointing out that at least in the initial stage the printer
will be targeted mostly at professional kitchen users,
with a consumer version to follow, at a projected retail
price of around $1,000.
In principle, the Foodini sounds like the ultimate
laziness aid: press a button to print your ravioli. But
Natural Machines is quick to point out that it's
designed to take care only of the difficult and time-
consuming parts of food preparation that discourage
people from cooking at home, and that it promotes
healthy eating by requiring fresh ingredients prepared
before printing.
Nevertheless, the company is working with major food
manufacturers to create pre-packaged plastic capsules
that can just be loaded into the machine to make food,
even though they assure these will be free of
preservatives, with a shelf life limited to five days.
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The printing process is slow, but faster than regular 3D
printing. Other than being capable of creating complex
designs, such as very detailed cake decorations or food
arranged in unusual shapes, the Foodini can be useful
for recipes that require precision and dexterity, like
homemade pizza or filled pasta.
Currently, the device only prints the food, which must
be then cooked as usual. But a future model will also
cook the preparation and produce it ready to eat.
The idea also comes with a social element too. "There's
a touchscreen on the front that connects to a recipe
site in the cloud, so it's an internet-of-things,
connected kitchen appliance," said Kucsma. Users will
also be able to control the device remotely using a
smartphone, and share their recipes with the
community.


Source :::cnnmobile.com/primary/fullarticle?articleId=urn:newsml:CNN.com:20141106:foodini-machine-print-food:1&pagesize=10&category=tech&pageSize=10