MAQET

Researchers at the UK’s University of Exeter in collaboration with Brunel University and software developer Delcam have developed a 3D printer that uses CHOCOLATE as its medium. They chose chocolate as a way to present the technology in an appealing and safe way to both engineers and the general population.

“What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products,” says research leader Dr Liang Hao. “From reproducing the shape of a child’s favorite toy to a friend’s face, the possibilities are endless and only limited by our creativity.”

The team imagines a system where amateur and professional chocolateers alike can sketch out designs, connect to their software, have them 3D printed and collect real custom-designed chocolate.

“This opens up the possibility of a much fuller participation of the consumer in the production process,” said Chief Executive Professor Dave Delpy. “Some people call it co-creation, where the consumer is fully part of the design process.”

I call it tasty technology!

Tags: 3D printing, chocolate, food art

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 at 11:03 am and is filed under Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.