Dubai Mall shoppers were literally like kids in a candy store when the latest in 3-D printing technology was unveiled this week. The two German-made machines at the Candylicious outlet can create sweets to your own design, and they are part of a new wave of food manufacturing that may, one day, lead us to Star Trek-style replicators that can provide meals on demand.
The technology is similar to that already being used to create everything from plastic toys to artificial body parts and motor vehicle components. Researchers are looking into many other applications for food printers – including a concept where airline passengers design their own in-flight meals to be printed in the galley.
The sky really is the limit with this technology, and it’s apt that it’s being showcased in the innovation-friendly UAE. What better way than to use sweets – which, we are assured, are made from all-natural ingredients – to inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers who could take this technology to the next level?
