World's first 3D chocolate printer is divine
(CBS) - Researchers at Exeter University have figured out how to print three-dimensional chocolate. So why the cocoa-based candy of all things? Dr. Liang Hao and Professor Richard Everson said they chose to work with sweet treat because it was accessible and had fewer consequences when making mistakes. There is also a big challenge when working with the sugary substance. Chocolate is more fickle than substances used in other 3D printing projects and must be heated and cooled with precision.
The two innovators stressed the importance of learning the manufacturing techniques and science behind the project. The choice in medium was to create a fun way to learn about the process.
Through "co-creation" users will be engaged from 3D modeling all the way to the printing process. The goal for the chocolate printer is to allow consumers to construct their own experience. Eventually, the creators would like to see the 3D printers enter the mainstream market.
This isn't the first example of 3D printing. The technology has been used to print everything from prosthetic limbs to jewelry using metals and plastics. Doctors at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina have even printed bladders for their patients using tissue samples.
Now we can have all the chocolate we want and print ourselves new a pancreases to treat our diabetes. Sweet.
