Two students hailing from Qatar, Mohammad Annan, aged 20, and Lujain Al Mansoori, aged 21, have introduced a groundbreaking 3D printer they claim holds the potential to address global food security issues. Al Jazeera recently reported on their creation, which utilizes artificially grown vegetable cells and UV light to fabricate edible vegetables, signifying a significant leap forward in the realm of 3D printing technology.
Both students are currently pursuing information systems studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Doha. They gained recognition by clinching the top prize in the FoodTech category during the Business Incubation and Acceleration Hackathon, hosted by Qatar Development Bank in August.
In their pursuit of crafting an efficient 3D printer capable of producing edible vegetables, Annan and Al Mansoori pieced together their machine by sourcing essential components from various locations around the world. Typically, 3D-printed edible items were crafted from purees of conventionally grown vegetables or fruits. However, these methods were not suited for large-scale production.
Annan and Al Mansoori took the existing masked stereolithography technology, which employs ultraviolet light to solidify the “inks,” and made enhancements. These modifications enable rapid and extensive printing in contrast to earlier 3D printing methods.
Annan elucidated their innovation, stating, “[Our] technology facilitates mass production due to its use of ultraviolet light. While ultraviolet light has been employed in previous types of printing with resin, it has never been utilized for edible materials until now.”
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