Is The 3D Food Printer The Next Step Toward Star Trek’s Replicator?

“Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.” As I’m sure many of you have, I’ve wanted to say that line to a cube shaped hole in the wall for the last 24 years or so. Now, we may be one step closer to getting our collective wish. What started as a project at Cornell University is currently being tested out at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, a 3D food printer. OK, so it’s not a replicator like we’re used to seeing on Star Trek, but it does seem to indicate that the scientists are actively trying to get there. For now, this 3D food printer is quite a bit like the replicator technology NASA is working on only in food form. It builds the desired food out of multiple fine layers of said food in a paste form.