3D printing is a genuinely incredible new technology. After taking off in the 21st century on Earth, it looks set to become one of the defining technologies in human space travel and colonization.
Plans are being made to use 3D printing in creating aircraft, spacecraft, orbital factories, lunar bases… but the latest potential application might actually take the biscuit. Or possibly even print it. Researchers at Cornell University are developing a machine that can actually print food.
Giving us what is, perhaps, our first glimpse of Star Trek-style food replicators, the Fab@Home 3D food printer is quite an impressive piece of equipment. Using edible hydrocolloidal suspensions (gel-like mixtures of solids and liquids) and flavoring agents, a food printer would be able to create an impressive array of different flavors and textures to help keep astronauts from getting bored with their meals. Essentially, the printers work by mimicking the taste and mouthfeel of different foods.
While it may be quite some time before this technology is suitable for general use, it could ultimately be used to blend in all of the nutrients and minerals essential for a healthy diet. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that this could even be tailored to individual dietary requirements. Intolerant to gluten or lactose? No problem! More creatively, it could be used to create foods which are impossible to make using normal methods. Just imagine a burger with layers of relish built into it.
