We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » "Edible origami" could cut shipping costs
inbound

"Edible origami" could cut shipping costs

June 7, 2017
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

When they look at ways to cut packaging and shipping costs, most shippers focus on trimming the outer wrappings, like the carton, packaging film, and dunnage. But researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Tangible Media Group are approaching the problem from a different angle. They're looking to streamline the product itself.

In a bid to reduce food packaging and shipping costs, the scientists created what could be described as "edible origami" or "shape-shifting pasta"—flat sheets of gelatin and starch that transform into three-dimensional shapes when submerged in water. For instance, the sheets can be engineered to fold into common pasta shapes like macaroni and rotini, MIT said. The edible films would be stacked together and packed flat for shipping, allowing for more efficient—and presumably less costly—transport.

"We did some simple calculations, such as for macaroni pasta, and even if you pack it perfectly, you still will end up with 67 percent of the volume as air," Wen Wang, a research scientist in MIT's Media Lab, said in a release. "We thought maybe in the future, our shape-changing food could be packed flat and save space."

The researchers created their invention using a laboratory 3-D printer, printing strips of edible cellulose over a layer of gelatin. But a 3-D printer wouldn't necessarily be required. In a paper presented at a conference last month, the authors noted that users could achieve the same results via less expensive production methods, such as screenprinting.

Transportation Parcel & Postal Carriers
KEYWORDS MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Related Articles

    Foldable shipping containers cut costs and carbon

    Data exchange at ports could cut emissions and costs, model shows

    container origami

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

A tree grows in Senegal

IoT vendors say industry needs better collaboration

Survey: only 55% of shippers filled their LTL trucks to full capacity in 2022

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Wireless technology could help electric trucks charge more safely, efficiently

  • Port of Oakland reports slow February container volumes as retail activity sputters

  • What’s shaping omnichannel fulfillment strategies?

  • Freight downcycle is closer to the end than the start, ACT says

  • WMS feels the squeeze

Now Playing on DCV-TV

ProMat 2023 DC Velocity Robotics Theater - KNAPP: Robotics: Applications and Technologies

DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Five tips for parcel success in 2023

  • Education Series: How, When and Why to Use XR Wearables in Your Industrial Business

  • The Future of Fleet Management: 5 Trends and Influences That Will Drive Logistics in 2023

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing