The trope of the food synthesizer has been a big part of sci-fi for a long time, and now a Finnish company called VTT Technical Research Centre is working to make this trope a reality. It is this group’s hope to harness the power of 3D printing to create a vending machine that produces custom-made snacks at the push of a button.
To achieve this goal, VTT is looking into basic food elements like proteins, starches, and cellulose-based materials. By combining these substances as printable “inks”, they should be able to produce a wide variety of appealing and nutritious foods.
Such a vending machine could prove to be more than just a fun novelty. The very concept of printable food has important implications for people throughout the world. Diners may be able to look forward to innovative new dishes that would not have been possible without 3D printing technology. Meanwhile, as the art of combining basic elements into appetizing and nutritious food items develops, we may advance several more steps forward to solving the problem of feeding the world’s growing population.
