3D Printing Using Genetically Modified Bacteria and Orange Juice

This post is coming to you live from the Elephant & Castle Mini Maker Faire being held today at the London College of Communication.

While the field is still fairly quiet right now, biohacking is the next big thing. There’s a grown segment of the maker movement that is talking about it, but not just that, they’re getting on and doing it.

I talked to Ilya Levantis from the London Biohackspace about JuicyPrint a 3d printer that can be fed with fruit juice and used to print out useful shapes made of bacterial cellulose using a genetically engineered strain of cellulose producing bacteria.

The G. hansenii (Gluconacetobacter hansenii) bacteria that the London Biohackspace is using is a  is able to grow on a wide range of  things like fruit juice, tea or even brewing waste. Once completed, building objects with the new printer will require only a computer, and a local a trip to your local market for supplies.

The Elephant & Castle Mini Maker Faire is being held at the London College of Communication from 10am till 6pm. Entry is free to children (under 16) and students, tickets are £5 otherwise and available on the door.