There’s a new experimental food project that’s got people talking – the “Dancing Delicacies” computational food initiative. This project, a collaboration between researchers from Monash University’s Exertion Games Lab, Carnegie Mellon University’s Morphing Matter Lab, and Gaudi Labs in Switzerland, aims to transform meals into interactive experiences.
The latest achievement from the Dancing Delicacies team is a 3D printed plate designed with electrodes. These electrodes have the ability to manipulate liquid droplets through electrical voltage. This means that diners can now watch as droplets of sauce move basil leaves and garnishes around the plate in specific patterns. Alternatively, if they prefer, they can also mix and match these droplets to curate their own flavor combinations.
While the idea of merging food and technology may seem new, the truth is that culinary experts have long been exploring innovative techniques to elevate dining experiences. Techniques like molecular gastronomy and molecular mixology have been used for years to create visually stunning and unique dishes and cocktails. For example, the “Flor de Caco” dessert expands like a flower when it comes into contact with hot chocolate sauce, while the “Disco Sour” cocktail changes color when mixed with citrus, thanks to the pH-sensitive butterfly pea flower tea.
In 2014, MIT’s Media Matters Lab even developed a fork that changed shape based on the user’s eating speed, and another fork that indicated the water content in food through LED color changes. These examples demonstrate how the intersection of food and technology has been steadily evolving.
The CMU Morphing Matter Lab has been particularly influential in this field, with their development of flat pasta that transforms into 3D shapes upon cooking, and 2D films that evolve into 3D structures when absorbing water. Their precise control over these transformations is achieved through the use of 3D-printed cellulose strips.
The potential for merging food with technology is vast, and projects like Dancing Delicacies are just the beginning. As advancements continue to emerge, the culinary world stands on the cusp of a new era where dining goes beyond traditional boundaries, becoming a multisensory and interactive art form.
“Cooking and eating is more than simply producing a dish and then facilitating energy intake,” says Floyd Mueller, a researcher at Monash. “It is about sharing, caring, crafting, slowing down and self-expression, and Dancing Delicacies aims to highlight these virtues at a time when they are often forgotten. The integration of food and computing will transform how we understand both computing and food as not two very different things, but a new frontier that combines the best of both.”
So, what do you think about the concept of merging food with technology? Are you excited about the potential it holds for transforming the dining experience? We would love to hear your thoughts on our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly additive manufacturing newsletter to get all the latest stories delivered right to your inbox.
Source: arstechnica.com
“Why did the 3D printer go to therapy? Because it had too many layers of unresolved issues!”
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