PancakeBot 3D-prints the pancakes you can't draw

You've heard of the MakerBot, but how about the PancakeBot? While 3D printing is the subject of many potentially life-altering projects, it also has its fun and quirky uses, such as the ink-design Jell-O shot printer. The PancakeBot can be counted among those fun uses, designing the complex pancake drawings you can never manage by hand.

The PancakeBot has existed for a while as a LEGO-based construction, but it recently received a sophisticated makeover, eschewing its LEGO foundation for acrylic, an Arduino controller, and stepper motors.

As you can see in the video above, the printer is equipped with a squeeze bottle filled with pancake batter, which is controlled using a vacuum pump. It is overall faster and smaller than the LEGO version, and a bit more classy without the ketchup bottle.

If you're envisioning transforming your breakfast presentations with this device, you're going to have to put in the work yourself: the device isn't available for purchase, but instructions on making the LEGO version are freely available online, giving everyone the opportunity to produce pancake Eiffel towers.

VIA: DigitalTrends