Fancy dinner at home but don’t have what you want in the fridge?
How about a pizza — fresh from your home 3D printer?
The technology isn’t there just yet. But could be with us in the next 15 years, scientists say.
Speaking at an Institute of Food Technologists symposium at McCormick Place this weekend, Hod Lipson, Ph.D., a professor of engineering at Columbia University and a co-author of the book “Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing,” said:
No matter what field you are in, this technology will worm its way in […] The technology is getting faster, cheaper and better by the minute. Food printing could be the killer app for 3D printing.
The cost of 3D printers has fallen from $500,000 in the 1980s to less than $1,000 today for a small model, the IFT says. And the military is now experimenting with 3D food.
Mary Scerra, a food technologist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Natick, Massachusetts, told the symposium:
Imagine warfighters in remote areas–one has muscle fatigue, one has been awake for a long period without rest, one lacks calories, one needs electrolytes, and one just wants a pizza. Wouldn’t it be interesting if they could just print and eat? She noted that there are still several hurdles to overcome, such as the cost of bringing the technology to remote areas, the logistics of making it work in those locations and, perhaps most importantly, making sure the food tastes good. If the meals aren’t palatable, they won’t be consumed, Scerra said. It doesn’t matter how nutritious they are.
While it might sound like science fiction, early versions of several food printers are already coming to market.
