Imagine if you could do away with all the mess of cleaning, chopping and then cooking the food that you eat. If someone would say to you, that you can 3D print your own food? It would surely make you feel that you are on the sets of the sci-fi Hollywood film, Cloudy with the chance of meat balls, but this imagination is on the verge of becoming a reality.

The concept of 3D printing food could be difficult to wrap around your head but a Barcelona start up Natural Machines has invented a new prototype 3D printer which it calls as the Foodini. This machine can produce a wide range of foodstuffs such as chocolates, cheeseburgers, gnocchi, ravioli, bread sticks and a lot other stuffs. Like most other 3D printers, Foodini squeezes liquid materials onto a printing bed. The sole difference is that it can use six capsules that can be used for six different ingredients. Each of these ingredients is squeezed out at different rates of pressure and temperature. There is a built-in heater in the printer so that the food is warm throughout the printing process.

The end product will be designed to look and operate like any other kitchen appliance. In order to make the product user friendly, a specialized software has been developed with a touch screen interface to allow its users to operate it like a tablet or a Smartphone. The level of technology that is being used in this product can be understood by the features that are being included in it. A Wi-Fi set up is also included in the machine so that the users can easily update the software. The company also plans to build an online community so that people could share their recipes and experience with the product.

As per the estimates made by the Chief Executive of Natural Machines, Emilio Sepulveda, the cost of this machine would probably be around 1,000 euros and the machine is expected to hit the stands by the middle of next year.