The concept of 3D printed food –and the dream that one day we’ll be able to walk up to a machine and say things like, “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot,” and have our commands magically materialize –carries an undeniable appeal. As such, despite the fact that 3D printing is arguably still in it’s infancy, tinkerers and tech-savvy food geeks across the globe have already adapted the technique for culinary purposes.
Right now, if you’ve got the right equipment, you can print out a wide range of different foods, including dinner fare like pizza and pasta, and even desserts like chocolate and candy. The 3D printed food menu seems to gets bigger every week, but even so, 3D printed breakfast is relatively uncharted territory. Until now, that is.
Enter PancakeBot — a contraption that does exactly what you’d expect from a machine with such a name. It looks, moves, and works just like a normal 3D printer, but instead of squirting out PLA filament onto a metal substrate, it squirts pre-mixed pancake batter onto a hot skillet. As with any other 3D printer, it can be programmed to draw out any shape you desire. Check out the video below to see it in action, but be warned — it’ll make your freehand pancake art pale in comparison.
Unfortunately you can’t buy one of these badboys just yet, but if you don’t mind putting in some extra effort, it’s totally possible to build one yourself. PancakeBot’s creators have developed a version made from Legos and an Arduino microcontroller, and have posted the building instructions online for free. Find out more here.