A Barcelona start up company is taking on the unenviable yet ultra exciting task of making 3-D food printers.
Natural Machines, based in the Barcelona Activa center in the west of the city, is working on a 3-D printer that will produce not just chocolates (as plenty other companies are also working on) but pasta (such as ravioli), breads—in fact, anything that starts life as a dough, paste or stiff liquid.
“I like to cook at home but I don’t have time to roll out pasta dough, or bread,” said Lynette Kucsma, a former Microsoft employee who joined the company told the Wall Street Journal in an interview this month.
“But I want to make fresh food. Printing a thin dough and a filling is not a problem.” The idea is that foodie geeks will set the machine up before they go to work, and have it timed to be ready when they get home.
Unlike other 3-D printers, which typically print in a single material, Natural Machine’s device can use six capsules, allowing much more complicated foods to be made. It also has a heater built in to keep the food warm during the printing process.
Ms. Kucsma outlined ambitious plans for how users will get the food into the machine, including doing deals with specialist food stores to make the ingredients up in store.
The Wall Srteet Journal's interview with the company founders can be watched here.
