KarunaNews Story

Two MIT students have developed a prototype for a 3D printer that uses artificial intelligence to transform food waste into objects such as cup holders and small containers. FOODres.AI works with unlikely ingredients including fruit peels, coffee grounds and leftover rice, using computer vision to analyse each ingredient and guide users until the mixture reaches the right consistency for printing. The idea was born when Biru Cao and Yiqing Wang, both with backgrounds in design and digital fabrication, noticed the large amounts of discarded food in their local cafeteria. "We started to think, is it possible for us to print something useful?" said Cao. The system consists of two connected parts: a blender that grinds ingredients into a paste, and a 3D printer. The prototype can handle almost any food scraps, including overripe, blackened bananas, stale bread, and slightly wilted or blemished vegetables. The students' next step is to develop a full version of the machine that allows for greater design flexibility.