The Digital Chocolatier is a prototype for a machine that allows users to quickly design, assemble and taste different chocolate candies. This machine is composed of three primary elements: a carousel of ingredients, a thermoelectric deposition cup and a user interface. Through a graphical user interface, users can select and combine the ingredients housed in the different carousel containers to create customized candies. The carousel rotates to extrude these ingredients into the thermoelectric cup that rapidly cools and hardens the chocolate, making it ready for consumption. The interface also makes it possible to save and rate favorite recipes for later use."
-- http://www.cmarcelo.com/cornucopia
Counterpoint - as a molecular gastronomy enthusiast, I'm very excited about this and similar developments.
I've already seen the huge opportunities that comparatively simple techniques like sous-vide cooking have afforded me, and I've eaten at restaurants like the Fat Duck which turned a lot of my concepts about food on their head. A food printer sounds like a fascinating way to develop new flavour combinations, textures, presentations - I can't wait.
This one appears to have lived and died as a prototype. Any mention of it after this article has only referenced what original information and images are available on the prototyper's 2010 site. [1]
Fab@Home seems to be closer to digitally printing food, though it doesn't seem like any time soon: "Lipton thinks that fabricating a dish of steak and potatoes from scratch is still 15 to 20 years or more in the future." [2]
[+] [-] Matti|12 years ago|reply
"Digital Chocolatier Prototype
The Digital Chocolatier is a prototype for a machine that allows users to quickly design, assemble and taste different chocolate candies. This machine is composed of three primary elements: a carousel of ingredients, a thermoelectric deposition cup and a user interface. Through a graphical user interface, users can select and combine the ingredients housed in the different carousel containers to create customized candies. The carousel rotates to extrude these ingredients into the thermoelectric cup that rapidly cools and hardens the chocolate, making it ready for consumption. The interface also makes it possible to save and rate favorite recipes for later use." -- http://www.cmarcelo.com/cornucopia
I can actually see how that could work.
[+] [-] devindotcom|12 years ago|reply
However, the "burrito bot" exists:
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/burritobot-precision-torti...
And its inventor says that the results are kind of nasty. There's a lot more to food than just nutritive compounds.
[+] [-] sdoering|12 years ago|reply
I really love to mix ingredients as building blocks of a great, nourishing meal. Not industrially manufactured so called food.
[+] [-] thenomad|12 years ago|reply
I've already seen the huge opportunities that comparatively simple techniques like sous-vide cooking have afforded me, and I've eaten at restaurants like the Fat Duck which turned a lot of my concepts about food on their head. A food printer sounds like a fascinating way to develop new flavour combinations, textures, presentations - I can't wait.
[+] [-] BadassFractal|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ddeck|12 years ago|reply
http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/feature_3d_f...
[+] [-] goyalpulkit|12 years ago|reply
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844471/
[+] [-] hassaanm|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] regal|12 years ago|reply
Fab@Home seems to be closer to digitally printing food, though it doesn't seem like any time soon: "Lipton thinks that fabricating a dish of steak and potatoes from scratch is still 15 to 20 years or more in the future." [2]
[1] http://www.cmarcelo.com/cornucopia/
[2] http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/2013/03/19/3d-printing-ta...
[+] [-] altrego99|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] willholloway|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aaron695|12 years ago|reply
Which any good entrepreneur knows is as valuable as leaves on a tree.
Implementation is whats important.