The Meaning of Competition

MIT Media Lab's Counter Intelligence Group, which develops innovative kitchen designs, has created a machine that makes dishes on demand and recycles them after diners have finished a meal. The dishes are made from food-grade, nontoxic acrylic wafers, which are shaped into cups, bowls and plates when heated, then resume their original wafer shape when they are reheated and pressed.

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This isn't the only useful kitchen item produced by the brains at MIT. In addition to the plate press are:

The group has designed smart countertops that display recipes in large type so chefs don't have to flip cookbook pages or fumble with stained recipe cards. The system lights up cabinets and drawers and displays messages to indicate where ingredients and cooking tools are located.

Another invention involves a kitchen sink that automatically raises or lowers to accommodate the height of the person using it.

An X-ray refrigerator uses an interior camera to project the fridge's contents onto the outside door so people can see what's inside without opening the door and wasting energy. The camera takes a snapshot of the fridge each time the door is opened, when the contents are likely to change. Future designs would transmit the image to a cell phone or other handheld device so shoppers could see what's in their fridges while strolling the grocery store aisles.

Bonanni has also created a "living cabinet" that grows and preserves food. The prototype uses light and carbon dioxide recycled from a kitchen stove to act as a "life support" system for store-bought produce. A sprig of basil or lettuce placed in the cabinet would not only keep for months, but would grow more leaves. Bonanni says the process works even if the produce doesn't have roots.