A conceptual invention called the Cocoon Cooker grows meat from packets. The cooker, which looks like a cocoon, could grow meat from a mixture of cells and nutrients.
Before learning anymore, you should know that the invention won first place in a contest that included a flying, rain-catching device that knows when you’re thirsty—so don’t expect to see Ron Popeil plugging this product at 4AM anytime too soon.
It’s still amazing though. According to its designer, the cooker can actually produce meat without the need to slaughter animals, which could be tremendous given the predictions that there will be food shortage issues in the future. The device would simply heat a mixture of “muscle cells, oxygen, and nutrients” and BLAMMO out pops a piece of meat.
A 27-year-old Swedish student named Rickard Hederstierna came up with the gadget, which looks a bit like a slow cooker. He says: “This will create 100 percent pure meat…with no risk of contamination…”
Some of the other clever concepts from the Electrolux design competition include a refrigerator that can teleport food from around the world, a wall mounted clothes steamer that would clean and press clothes in seconds, and a “molecular food printer” that would actually create appetizers and treats.
The only invention that I could actually envision being put into production soon would be a new wall-mounted dishwasher that is sleek enough to double as a cupboard. One side would be closed while it washes the dishes while the other side remains open like a cabinet. Not a bad idea!
Check out a video about the top ten inventions at the competition, including the Cocoon Cooker that grows meat, and then give us your thoughts on it in the comments section below.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I originally read this article through MSN and was a bit confused at first. I have a PhD in Astro-Phyics through KU. I work in conjuction with NASA by helping them analyze data from satelites, telescopes, and rovers. I have never heard of anything like this before. So, I checked out the contest, its rules, and each of the 8 design finalists. It was then that I realized that all of these designs, including the “Cocoon Cooker,” are in fact not real. They’re simply “concepts” of future products and are nothing more than an idea at this point. If you read more in depth about how this product “works,” you’ll actually find it quite humorous, because there is very little science behind this “idea.” Even if this product somehow comes to life (no pun intended) in the next few years, it’ll have to go through countless ethical obstactles before it is mass produced and sold to the public.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
No, NO, NO!!! I read it on the INTERNET so it MUST be true!