Pancakes, otherwise known as “proof that angels exist,” are an important part of any healthy life and diet. But while most of us would love to start any and every morning with the delicious taste of flapjacks (don’t trust anyone who says otherwise), making them is a little bit of a hassle. Who’s got time to mix everything together, cook, and then wash a pan? Most of us are lucky if we can stuff a Nutri-Grain bar up the correct face hole (rather than stabbing oneself in the nose while chasing the bus).
Fortunately for those of us who haven’t yet managed time management, the Boston Globe has some good news. Apparently, three enterprising students from Olin College have created a machine that won’t just print you a pancake (cool), but will make that pancake spell out “Hello!” — insuring that your day starts off right because the fried grain you’re about to eat loves you (very cool).
For their final project in their Principles of Engineering class last semester, Trent Dye and three classmates created the “Pancake CNC Machine,” a device that automatically “prints” pancakes onto a griddle based on images designed on a computer screen.
“You can make anything: cartoon characters, geometric shapes, a yin yang symbol,” said Dye.
The entire process, from start to finish, took the four Olin students nine weeks, three iterations of the original design, and several homemade pancake batter recipes to complete. Dye and his classmates also had to produce the contraption on a shoestring budget of $250.
And “Hello!” is just the beginning. The group has also printed a giant rocket pancake, and the computer program they created will allow users to use their own designs when making themselves breakfast. Want to stuff something that kind of-sort of resembles John Travolta down your throat? That might soon be possible!
Two caveats: The pancakes are not yet as well-flavored as you might hope and you have to flip them by hand. The former issue will likely be solved as soon as someone realizes the money-making potential a device like this has. The latter? Just more incentive to get you out of bed. Now all we need is to figure out how to put this thing on a timer so you can wake up to pancakes baking every morning without pulling a Michael Scott.
(Via the Boston Globe)
