NASA: Austin, calling Austin. 3-D pizzas to go
(Phys.org) —The idea of living with 3-D printed food is neither unthinkable nor new; designers and futurists have been looking to 3-D printing as food's next frontier. In 2012, there was news that the Thiel Foundation made a $350,000 donation to Modern Meadow. Co-founded by Gabor and Andras Forgacs, two tech-entrepreneurs, the company focus was on commercialized bioprinting and they were exploring bioprinted meat —applying the basic idea of layering cells using print technology. Now, NASA similarly made a next-frontier move in bestowing a $125,000 grant on Systems & Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) in Austin, Texas. The company has been given the nod from NASA to create a prototype of a food synthesizer. The prototype will follow the company's-proof of concept a chocolate printer, applying a layer of chocolate on to a cracker. The company will move on up to a more nutritional solution. The grant from NASA is for...