Since you can now print a gun with a 3D printer, why not just print your meal as well? Anjan Contractor, from Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) in Austin, TX, has received a $125,000 grant from the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to create a prototype printer. Contractor has already shown feasibility within a laboratory.
The purpose of the research is to help NASA supply food for multi-year space missions, which would require food with an extremely long shelf life. Spam for breakfast, lunch and dinner probably isn’t going to cut it for such a mission. And what is up for dinner tonight? Contractor will be starting with pizza as the first printed food since it comes in distinct layers. Even better, he is building the printer based on the open-source RepRap 3D printer.
Your 3D printer might not be the next Top Chef, but it might someday be better than that microwavable ramen you were thinking of making for dinner. Just in case you want a chocolate s’more tonight, check out Contractor printing chocolate.
SOURCE: Quartz
