Drata analyzed global poll data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to illustrate corporate America’s preparedness to implement AI.
– Photo illustration by Stacker // Shutterstock

The mix of AI and 3D printing was inevitable. Add MIT and some very practical ideas, and you get the likely basis of future resource management. This is sustainability with legs. It’s called FoodRes.Ai Printer, and it’s a game-changer in so many ways.

It looks straightforward enough in theory, but the basic idea is the goldmine.

Consider this:

You need to accurately assess the value of waste materials as resources for 3D printing. If you know the somewhat torturous history of creating materials suitable for printing, this is a huge breakthrough.

You need the capability to convert waste materials like food scraps into printable materials. Not easy, and these materials can be highly variable in content. Food waste, it should be understood, isn’t a particularly cooperative range of materials. These materials can be in any condition.

You have to create printing options for multiple objects. This Popular Science article defines the current state of play for FoodRes.

It must be easy to use in a single, simple process for consumers and onsite production. FoodRes couldn’t get any simpler, as you can see from this YouTube video.

The AI component is the critical dynamic here. This is real AI, the high-value scientific information processing variety, not the chatty, too-much overhyped variety, and it’s extremely efficient. FoodRes includes a mobile app that identifies and creates “recipes,” as designer Biru Cao calls them, for 3D printing options.

The 3D printer looks pretty simple and durable. All it requires is the raw materials and some natural additives. You just upload a photo of the materials to the AI, and it creates the printing options.

The 3D prints are also customizable to a large extent. At the moment, the scale of production is naturally based on the printer’s capacity, but you have to start somewhere. It’s not hard to visualize a whole custom dinner set being made.

The future

The new horizon created by FoodRes is vast. Imagine a simple process for converting any kind of waste or basic materials into almost anything. The sheer efficiency of this thing deserves respect. It’s a very practical way of managing any kind of waste or indeed any kind of available materials.

The evolution of FoodRes will be well worth watching. 3D printing has just gained a major asset in terms of materials management. Materials science has just gained a lot of new space for the development of new materials. Waste management has just had its load revised downward. if this tech develops high capacity, like simply generating printing materials for commercial use.

If there was ever a practical idea, this is it.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.