Natural Machines has developed a 3D printer for people who are too tired or don't feel like cooking dinner after a hard day's work.
The printer, called "Foodini," uses capsules to create a variety of fresh food, such as pizza, spaghetti, mini-burgers and chocolate, according to Tech Times.
Lynette Kucsma, co-founder of Natural Machines, says the technology in Foodini is the same found in most 3D printers that print plastic, "but with plastic there's just one melting point, whereas with food it's different temperatures, consistencies and textures. Also, gravity works a little bit against us, as food doesn't hold the shape as well as plastic."
Fresh ingredients are used to make food in the printer, which is about the same size as a microwave oven, PC Magazine reported.
"The food is real food, made from fresh ingredients prepared before printing," the startup said. "Promoting cooking with fresh ingredients, Foodini manages the difficult and time-consuming parts of food preparation that often discourage people from creating homemade food."
While Foodini is currently only able to print and assemble food, leaving the cooking job to the user, Natural Machines plans on making another printer that will be able to prepare dishes that are ready to eat, Tech Times reported.
"In essence, this is a mini food manufacturing plant shrunk down to the size of an oven," Kucsma said.
The goal for the company is to make Foodini available to the public in the second half of 2015. Another objective is to develop preservation-free pre-packaged capsules that will have a shelf-life of five days.
Foodini isn't being launched for everyone at the moment, as the printer is being sold initially to kitchen professionals, PC Magazine reported. However, Natural Machines plans on eventually making the printer available to average consumers for $1,000.
