Using food to help demonstrate the basic building blocks of computer science In recognition of food’s significant experiential pleasures, culinary practitioners and designers are increasingly exploring novel combinations of computing…

Using food to help demonstrate the basic building blocks of computer science

In recognition of food’s significant experiential pleasures, culinary practitioners and designers are increasingly exploring novel combinations of computing technologies and food. However, despite much creative endeavors, proposals and prototypes have so far largely maintained a traditional divide, treating food and technology as separate entities.

In contrast, researchers from Monash University in Australia present a “Research through Design” exploration of the notion of food as computational artefact, wherein food itself is the material of computation. The researchers describe the Logic Bonbon, a dessert that can hydrodynamically regulate its flavour via a fluidic logic system.

Logic Bonbon offers a ‘cyber’ food experience that combines the application of logic operations – the basic building blocks of every digital computer – with edible materials resulting in the creation of a liquid-centred dessert.

Possible future research building on this project include developing more complex computational systems made of food to further explore how hospitality can be supported in delivering unique experiences to diners while supporting the chef’s craft and expertise.

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