Three students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have given 3D printers a new purpose: making ice cream.
The technology was made possible after the three students - Kyle Hounsell, Kristine Bunker, and David Donghyun Kim - hacked a Solidoodle 3D printer and connected it to a Cuisinart ice cream maker, according to PC Magazine. While the technology is currently only a proof of concept, the students managed to print out stars and other shapes of the sweet snack.
The team said they created the printer as a way to get kids more interested in technology.
"We were inspired to design this printer because we wanted to make something fun with this up and coming technology in a way that we could grab the attention of kids," Bunker said. "We felt that it was just as important to come up with a new technology as it was to interest the younger generation in pursuing science and technology so we can continue pushing the limits of what is possible."
Hounsell explained the process of building the printer, saying the team had to print the ice cream into a cooled environment so that when it was printed, the dessert would be able to maintain its shape, Zee News reported.
As the ice cream is squirted out of the printer's nozzle, the cooling system is able to fix it into place with liquid nitrogen. With instant cooling, the printer builds up ice cream the same way it squirts down layers of plastic.
The students aim to have the technology eventually brought to ice cream shops so kids can have fun making the dessert.
"We imagine this technology being marketable in ice cream parlors such as Dairy Queen where customers can order an ice cream treat, wait 15 minutes, and see the shape they chose to be created," they said.
