Printable Drinks?

[surferguy]

A company is introducing a machine to print drinks.

https://medium.com/@davefriedberg/ca...s-e18cdf7c1871

I wonder how Patrick Stewart feels about this?

Fortunately, we have the power to transition to a new system of manufacturing. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs in flavor chemistry and engineering advances in fluidic technology, the global beverage and bottling supply chain can be rebuilt. We are entering the era of decentralized manufacturing.

[Torture]

I'll believe it when I see it. Doesn't look like they even have a product yet, maybe a prototype in a lab but we're a long way out from it being commercialized.

[lazypucker]

So everything will become artificial flavored sugar water.

[Since1984]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

So everything will become artificial flavored sugar water.

Is this not 90% of drinks available in stores now?

[rubecube]

Hopefully this doesn't turn into that stupid juicer thing that came out a few years ago.

[ResAlien]

The world’s not ready for Baja Blast on demand. They were so preoccupied with if they could that they never stopped to ask themselves if they should.

[GordonBlue]

going to be a lot of money fighting this, if they plan on eliminating every current beverage manufacturer both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Not to mention the industries that rely on the current system.

[2Stonedbirds]

-Nestle has entered the chat-

[blankall]

Hmm....I dunno. If this was possible wouldn't it have already happened? If there was an affordable way to make orange juice without using oranges, wouldn't someone already be doing it? All sorts of companies are trying, and the best we get is Sunny Delight. Even that has some juice in it.

Sounds like an artificial juice company trying to hype up their products. The research into what the human palate responds to sounds like marketing to me.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by blankall

Hmm....I dunno. If this was possible wouldn't it have already happened? If there was an affordable way to make orange juice without using oranges, wouldn't someone already be doing it? All sorts of companies are trying, and the best we get is Sunny Delight. Even that has some juice in it.

Sounds like an artificial juice company trying to hype up their products. The research into what the human palate responds to sounds like marketing to me.

Right now they sound like that Theranos blood testing company that scammed everyone. Just sounds too good to be true.

[Fuzz]

Really? It sounds like a concept for a product that they are exploring. I think it's interesting you could re-create the flavour of wine from a few chemicals. Did you guys read the article?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Really? It sounds like a concept for a product that they are exploring. I think it's interesting you could re-create the flavour of wine from a few chemicals. Did you guys read the article?

I did read it. They glossed over how they plan to reproduce complex organic molecules in a machine that the average consume can afford. There's some ability to "print" molecules. But what they are actually doing is using precursors to create related chemical compounds. These occur in large and expensive machines located in labs.

I mean it would be great if we had some Star Trek like technology where you could just ask for whatever beverage you wanted on the spot, but it sounds like the technology is a long ways away from there.

[DoubleF]

I'm trying to figure out if I want to get mad at a bunch of buzzwords being used.

It "claims" 3D printing, but conceptually, it's basically going to be a machine that can take instructions on what compounds and ratios together to make drink crystals to add to water to make a specific repeatable flavored drink every single time. I'd consider it the next level of evolution of an auto bartender, but with compounds that are much more simple.

But what bugs me, is that IF this tech was available, why stop at drinks? You could make candy, cleaning products, medication/drugs, gels, cosmetics etc. Anything with a liquid in it, you could do.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by blankall

I did read it. They glossed over how they plan to reproduce complex organic molecules in a machine that the average consume can afford. There's some ability to "print" molecules. But what they are actually doing is using precursors to create related chemical compounds. These occur in large and expensive machines located in labs.

I mean it would be great if we had some Star Trek like technology where you could just ask for whatever beverage you wanted on the spot, but it sounds like the technology is a long ways away from there.

It's really just exploring a concept they've shown to work in one instance(wine). Presumably you'd have cartridges with the precursors, and be able to make whatever those chemicals could. So it's an interesting idea, but ya, this would be a long ways down the road. If they tried to make it in the next 5 years, it'd be a watered down not very useful expensive device, I suspect. To me the interesting part is re-creating natural product flavours with a limited number of chemicals. I know they already do this, but the idea of doing it at home from a machine is kinda neat.

[Northendzone]

soylent green?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It's really just exploring a concept they've shown to work in one instance(wine). Presumably you'd have cartridges with the precursors, and be able to make whatever those chemicals could. So it's an interesting idea, but ya, this would be a long ways down the road. If they tried to make it in the next 5 years, it'd be a watered down not very useful expensive device, I suspect. To me the interesting part is re-creating natural product flavours with a limited number of chemicals. I know they already do this, but the idea of doing it at home from a machine is kinda neat.

I wonder if someone would build one to print out bespoke recreational drug tabs with perfect doses.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

But what bugs me, is that IF this tech was available, why stop at drinks? You could make candy, cleaning products, medication/drugs, gels, cosmetics etc. Anything with a liquid in it, you could do.

That might be partially regulatory. I imagine it's way easier to get approval to make a product that contains all the components necessary to make wine and also orange juice, compared to wine and also tylenol and also clorox and also nail polish remover.

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

soylent green?

More like Brawndo!

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Hmmmm... this is my prediction about how this all turns out.

Originally Posted by Douglas Adams

Arthur had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

The way it functioned was very interesting. When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic examination of the subject's metabolism and then sent tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centers of the subject's brain to see what was likely to go down well. However, no one knew quite why it did this because it invariably delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

[underGRADFlame]

Originally Posted by surferguy

I wonder how Patrick Stewart feels about this?