3D printers are pretty amazing, but they have so much more potential. There must be some higher purpose for 3D printers that’s just waiting around the corner. A recent graduate student of New York’s Tisch School for the Arts has found that higher purpose.

Meet Burritob0t, a 3D printer that makes edible burritos. It shocks me that the idea hasn’t come up sooner as the burrito is only second to bacon as the ultimate nerd food. It was invented by Marko Manriquez for his final project as a graduate student.

Before you ask, the Burritob0t doesn’t make what you would consider the traditional burrito. It’s currently impossible for a 3D printer to replicate the meat, beans and other additives required to make the kind of burrito that you get at Taco Bell. Instead, the Burritob0t distributes the ingredients onto the burrito in a paste-like form.

The food paste part sounds unappealing, but Manriquez has a good reason for his decision beyond it just being practical. He wants Burritob0t to make people question the relationship between themselves, food and technology.

For now, Manriquez will be starting up a Kickstarter for Burritob0t. He has already open sourced the design for anybody interested, but he wants to get in into the hands of more people. He feels that it could revolutionize the way we interact with food and help people create more meals with less.

Burritob0t.net prototype – Kickstarter rough cut from Marko Manriquez on Vimeo.

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