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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsA single 3D-printed burger currently costs over $300,000 to make
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A single 3D-printed burger currently costs over $300,000 to make
By James Plafke 01.22.2013 :: 3:00PM EDT @jplafke
https://www.geek.com/news/a-single-3d-printed-burger-currently-costs-over-300000-to-make-1536823/
Weve mentioned Modern Meadow a company that is practicing a variant of 3D printing, called 3D bioprinting before. Instead of using resin like standard 3D printing, or a material more easily sent through a printer for food-printing like melted chocolate that then hardens, Modern Meadow uses material somewhat creepily called bioink.
In order to print live cells, the engineers perform biopsies on animals and collect stem cells, or other special cells. Because stem cells are basically magical (this not a technical term), they can not only turn into other cells, but replicate themselves. Once they replicate enough times, the engineers load them into a bioprinter cartridge, which creates something of a bioink a material made of many live cells. When the bioink is printed, the living cells link together and form living tissue.
Though it might be easier to print edible, dead-tissue meat, Modern Meadow is facing a couple fairly large hurdles. For one, convincing the world to eat lab-grown meat might not be so easy. Another significant hurdle is that though Modern Meadow hasnt grown something like a burger or steak as of yet, the price of one would be astronomically high. Another team of researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands has been growing animal cells to produce strips of lean muscle, with the goal of creating an artificial hamburger. Though the team doesnt use bioprinting, they do use a somewhat related process of having stem cells replicate and create live tissue in a mold. Unfortunately, creating an entire burger would currently cost over $300,000.
If this all seems a little nutty, Modern Meadow has managed to raise some backing from prominent figures, such as Peter Thiel, who was one of Facebooks early investors. Theres no word yet on when the company will be able to print a burger (or even a slider!), but if it can, it will be interesting to see how much itll cost, and if people can be convinced that synthetic meat is truly edible.
But only G*d can create a tree.
bearsfootball516
(6,377 posts)bitterross
(4,066 posts)InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)TWO all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun... with ketchup and mustard on the side, along with an extra large fries. I'd also like a hot apple pie with my order. Thanks!!
marble falls
(57,077 posts)InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)bitterross
(4,066 posts)Probably not even all that far into the future though I don't want to attempt a prediction.
I just know I remember when computers cost millions and took up entire floors of buildings. Now the same processing can be done on your smart watch.
Zorro
(15,740 posts)Assembly line workers will be a vanishing breed, since I think a lot of manufacturing will move to this technology.