The INSIDER Summary:
- Scientists at MIT have invented 3D-printed pasta that start out flat and then morph into typical pasta shapes when activated by water.
- They were invented as a space-saving technique for pasta packaging.
- The scientists hope the invention can 'democratize the design of noodles.'
Kitchen technology is starting to look more and more like The Jetsons. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have invented 3D-printed pasta that starts out as flat sheets of gluten, gelatin, and starch and is activated by water to inflate into recognizable pasta shapes. These shape-shifting, space-saving noodles may seem like ornamental technology at best, but this type of convenience could soon be the norm in our kitchens.
"We did some simple calculations, such as for macaroni pasta, and even if you pack it perfectly, you still will end up with 67 percent of the volume as air," Wen Wang, a co-author on the paper and a former graduate student and research scientist in MIT's Media Lab, told MIT News. "We thought maybe in the future our shape-changing food could be packed flat and save space."
The researchers found that playing around with gelatin — a substance that naturally expands when exposed to water — they could cut down on negative space in traditional pasta, and by printing cellulose onto the gelatin, they could control the pasta's response to water and therefore the shape that it retained.
"We envision that the online software can provide design instructions, and a startup company can ship the materials to your home," study co-author Lining Yao said. "With this tool, we want to democratize the design of noodles."