THE FUTURE IS HERE

Mind-melting foodie innovations that are already here… or near

1

Instant everything Affordable delivery will transform how we eat, says Craig Wills: ‘With delivery services such as Quiqup (quiqup.com), you could get a picnic delivered in Hyde Park.’

2

Pan-ic over Smart-pans such as Pantelligent (Us-only, $129, pantelligent.com), whose temperature sensors link to a prompt app on your phone, could mean an end to dry salmon.

3

The icing on the cake Augmented reality phone apps allow you to insert imagery into real life. For instance, In The Kitchen, an app from Food Network (foodnetwork.com), you can test out decorations on just-baked cupcakes.

4

Bee bots You want your apple tree to pollinate? Then we need more bees; possibly self-piloting robot-bees. Critics say it’s bonkers, but evangelists are buzzing about these prototype micro-drones.

5

Bakery hack Bosch’s intelligent Optimum food processor (from £499.99, boschhome.co.uk) automatically knows when to stop beating egg whites or mixing dough.

6

The printed curd Precision 3D food printers such as the Foodini ($4,000, currently for professionals only; naturalmachines.com) are appearing in high-end kitchens. Will we get the next generation to eat their greens by creating crazy 3D shapes from peas? Some experts think so.

7

Hangover cure Professor David Nutt’s ‘alcosynth’ is a liquid compound which mimics alcohol’s pleasant effects without any unhealthy side-effects. By 2050, he predicts, alcohol will be off the menu.

8

Fuss-free food-tracker In development, Autodietary is a mic-enabled necklace that, by recording sounds as we chew, knows what we’re eating and can calculate its calories.

9

Purple reign Boffins plan to extract the purple antioxidants, anthocyanins, from Peruvian corn, to use as an all-purpose, healthboosting natural colouring. Violet eggs, anyone?

10

Wheely useful Walmart has patented a robotic shopping trolley that will follow customers. Where did we put that £1 coin?