If you have watched any of the “Star Trek” series, you know that they use food replicators to make their foods and beverages. In the future, food replicators could be a favorite Christmas present.
The first generation of food replicators might be basic food preparation devices. They might be as large as a small refrigerator and will be a novelty like a robotic vacuum cleaner is. The device will be hooked up to the water supply and will use more power than an oven. Instead of buying food, people will buy protein packs that will supply a protein-growing vat with material for the production of synthetic protein for the food. Minerals and vitamins will also come in packs, along with flavoring packs and the molecular building materials for food.
Instead of using a cookbook to prepare the food, a person will either type in or tell the replicator audibly what is wanted, the size of the portions, the temperature of the food, and textures. It might take less than five minutes to prepare a meal. But the food will look artificial even though it will taste and smell like real food. Lobster might look like chicken and be the same price. But restaurants won't be in danger of closing down.
The second generation of replicators will still have the vats to grow protein along with storage chambers for molecular material to be used for the construction of food. But instead of forming food blocks, the replicators will be similar to 3-D printers that will construct the food layer by layer, only faster. With visual referencing programmed into each replicator, the food will look more realistic. A T-bone steak will look, taste and smell like a steak. But the bone will be edible.
The third generation of replicators will be more expensive since they will have nuclear components that will change the molecular structure of materials faster. As long as you have in vats and storage the basic ingredients for the construction of food, the only things you might need to add are sticks, stones and water. If hyperlight physics becomes a reality in the future, the fourth generation of replicators will be as fast as the ones seen on TV and in the movies. If someone has brain implants that are used for communications, all he'll have to do is visualize what he wants and the replicator will produce it. Even the cups, plates and utensils will be edible.
Food replicators might eventually endanger restaurants. But just like TV didn't cause movies to become extinct, food replicators won't cause all restaurants to close and will be used to make food in many of them.
