3D printing is everywhere.
Everyone's 3D-printing machine, parts and toys, and maybe even
organs, but there's also a current rise
in 3D-printed food.
Today, in collaboration with science and tech company Merck
KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, I want to talk
about how this tasty tech might be applied to more than just
a menu near you.
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With Worlds of Curiosity, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
talks about how innovative technologies are
impacting our lives at work, at home, and everywhere
in between.
And sometimes these innovations have humble beginnings,
but the potential for big impact.
I remember the first 3D printing video that I ever saw.
I have no idea what year it was, but it was a printer
that used sugar as its medium.
Rather than extrude something like ink,
it somehow heated the sugar up layer by layer to form a shape.
And I remember thinking that this was super cool, but also
kind of gimmicky.
I didn't really think that, at the time,
intricate sugar cubes were going to change the world much
beyond a curious "huh" before I dropped them into my coffee.
But 3D-printed food has come a long way since then,
and it's being proposed to be used
for more than just fantastical menu items.
A project in Brussels called Performance
aimed to use 3D printing to help people suffering
from eating and swallowing difficulties
known as dysphagia.
Often the result of a stroke or dementia, people with dysphagia
often require a pureed or soft foods,
and these foods are often not super appealing.
So 3D printing could be a way to make
them a bit more attractive.
3D printing can help to replicate
the appearance, shape, and texture of the original foods.
And while this is aesthetically more pleasing,
it can also help to convince people to eat when
they may be reluctant to do so.
The foods that were a part of Performance
were additionally supplemented with nutrients
for each specific patient's needs,
and then they were placed into a microwave label packaging
for easy and even reheating.
Now, this unfortunately isn't a widespread program.
The trial took place between 2012 and 2015,
and I haven't been able to find any big updates on it
since then.
But it's also not the only study looking
at 3D printing as a potential resource for patients
with eating difficulties.
A group in Australia is working on something very similar,
and a group in Sweden has recently
started a project to test out serving
3D-printed food to elderly care home residents in 2019.
So while not the current state of care,
I'm really intrigued by the fact that so many different groups
are exploring how to use this technology to actually improve
people's quality of life.
But there are more problems in the world
that innovative solutions and curious ideas
like 3D-printed food could help tackle.
Many of the social initiatives involved in Worlds of Curiosity
also look at how we're going to conserve resources
as they become more scarce and integrate new technologies
into the workplaces of the future,
both down here on Earth and maybe even up in space.
A company called Upprinting Food is bringing
upcycling to the culinary world, transforming
food waste into something more palatable and long-lasting.
And multiple companies are looking into 3D printing meat,
removing the animal raising process
from your favorite steak or burger.
In fact, two companies, called Aleph Farms and 3D Bioprinting
Solutions, just announced that they had together
printed the first piece of meat in space.
The microgravity conditions on the International Space Station
allowed them to print the piece of meat
without the need for the supports or lattices that
would be required down here on Earth due to gravity.
For now, the main bulk of the cells
were grown down here on the ground,
but it is possible that, in the future,
astronauts will be able to grow and print
their own steaks on missions far from the closest cow.
Now, none of this is mainstream--
yet.
But I love that people are exploring new ways to make food
as we look forward to a future that's going to require
feeding a growing population.
These ideas include not just 3D-printed food, but also
things like cell-based meats, one
of the many concepts being explored by Mark
KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Their Worlds of Curiosity initiative
also looks at how curiosity might
help solve social challenges, ranging
from the scarcity of resources to the future
of scientific work.
You can explore this initiative and the ways
that curiosity is changing our lives today and tomorrow
by visiting the links in the description below.
And as always, remember to go forth and do science.
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