Will We Have Star Trek Replicators in Our Homes in the Near Future?

Joy, oh, joy! I still remember huddling under the covers with a flashlight after bedtime sneaking in another chapter of a Star Trek book. And, one of my favorite things about Star Trek is the Replicator. What child (even adult!) wouldn’t wonder at the idea of having a machine that can make any food you ask it to?

What child (even adult!) wouldn’t wonder at the idea of having a machine that can make any food you ask it to? All I could think of was chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Oh, and ice cream and cake and fried chicken.

Now, MIT computer scientists just might have created the ancestors of real Star Trek replicators!

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have announced a breakthrough in 3D printing whereby they a machine can print both solid and liquids at the same time, in the same device, called “Printable Hydraulics”.

According to the lab’s director Daniela Rus, “We have a 3D printer that can lay out either solids or liquids, and then we have an algorithm that decides when the printer should put down a water droplet or solid droplet. This allows us to create objects that were not possible to create before.”

Objects like robots that are ready to roll.

At the moment, the scientists are talking about robots that can fulfil specific functions like cleaning the floor, dusting the shelves, and serving dinner.

Okay, this is far from real Star Trek replicators, but that is really what jumped at me. I’ll be more realistic now and say that Rosie from The Jetsons is more likely to come before the replicator. I guess I’ll settle for that.

Check out the Printable Hydraulic Robots.

You might also want to read: Kids Make Their Own 3D-printed Prosthetics Thanks to Superhero Cyborgs 2.0