New 3D food printer coming soon

PanARMENIAN.Net - While 3D printing is a technological miracle which has given us everything from actual human limbs to a Pokémon Go cheat case, it's yet to really crack the edible scene.

That is, until now, with a team of scientists from Columbia University developing a 3D printer that could revolutionize the way we eat, Digital Spy said.

The team has already shown how the food can be produced through the appliance, but now they must ensure that it can be cooked properly inside the relatively small unit. Once tests are complete, the researchers' device hopes to allow users to produce new foods and manage their diet through an amalgamation of pastes, gels, powders and liquid ingredients.

If you're a chef reading this and are currently experiencing heart palpitations, though, know that the world isn't ready to replace you… just yet, Digital Spy said.

Hod Lipson, in whose lab the printer was developed, said in a statement: "Food printers are not meant to replace conventional cooking - they won't solve all of our nutritional needs, nor cook everything we should eat.

"But they will produce an infinite variety of customised fresh, nutritional foods on demand, transforming digital recipes and basic ingredients supplied in frozen cartridges into healthy dishes that can supplement our daily intake.

"I think this is the missing link that will bring the benefits of personalised data-driven health to our kitchen tables - it's the 'killer app' of 3D printing."

The team hopes to integrate a heating element to the gadget by the end of the year, meaning downloading our meals to print off is seemingly in the not-too-distant future.