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Food printers and eye writing: tech show's quirkiest gadgets

Barcelona - Many of these newfangled prototypes found a niche at the trade show's special corner for start-ups, which gathered here to find business deals for their inventions.

 While tens of thousands flock to the Mobile World Congress to check out the latest smartphones, the show also offers glimpses of some of the coolest off-beat - and downright strange - innovations.
Many of these newfangled prototypes found a niche at the trade show's special corner for start-ups, which gathered here to find business deals for their inventions.
Here is a look at the quirkiest of the gadgets and apps on display this week in Barcelona.
Magic drawings
Remember pop-up books?
Chromville takes the idea to another dimension with its augmented reality educational app.
Here is how it works: Kids download and print pages with designs that they color in as they wish.
Next, they hold a tablet over the page and, via the Chromville app, the drawing turns into a 3-D image they can interact with through the screen. The one on the solar system, for example, lets kids explore the planets, zoom in and out, and learn facts. Other modules teach about the human body, the metamorphosis of a frog, simple geography, or how to build a machine.
"It is something like magic. We have to play and enjoy education," said Hector Perez, CEO of the company from Zaragoza, Spain.
As of December, a one-time fee of 3.99 euros ($4.39) gives customers the app and access to drawings.
Natural Machines co-founder Lynette Kucsma insists her company hasn't replicated Star Trek's "food synthesizer" that made munchies appear at Captain Kirk's mere command.
But they sure have come close with their 3-D food printer.
The Foodini lays down layer after layer of food from nozzles, ultimately creating treats like ravioli, crackers, or chicken nuggets. The company says you can even make more complex items like hamburgers, though it's not clear what they would look like coming through nozzles.
"You become the food manufacturer," Kucsma said, adding that the Foodini would allow cooks to use more natural ingredients to make healthier food instead of buying prepared foodstuffs with added preservatives.
The Foodini can also link up with other connected devices. "You can print recipes from a chef who is halfway around the world," Kucsma said.
The Barcelona-based company is launching the Foodini with the target of professional chefs to meet the $1,500-2,000 price tag. They plan to later expand to regular customers.
"In 10 to 15 years we think 3-D food printers will be as common in kitchens as microwaves," Kucsma said.