I am currently reading the book by Elan Mastai, a story that begins when one man’s invention – capable of generating an infinite amount of clean energy – changed the world. The protagonist, Tom, describes the multitude of ways that life has been transformed since, with vignettes of life in the future that feel reminiscent of sci-fi cartoon . Among the life improvements, there is a gadget called a food synthesiser – “a system [that] outputs whatever meal you feel like from a nutrient gel mixed with colour, flavour and texture protocols .
.. it’s indistinguishable from what you think of as real food, except that it’s uniquely gauged to your tongue’s sensory receptors so it tastes and feels ideal every time”.
In Tom’s world, there are no browning avocados or mouldy sourdough – only perfection. I cannot help but think that the contraption is relatively unimaginative compared to all the weird and wonderful gadgets depicted in , the long-running Japanese manga and anime series by Fujiko Fujio that has charmed generations since the eponymous blue robot cat flew into existence in 1970. The exhibition is a cute reminder of the whimsical genius of Doraemon, whose 4D pouch holds countless secret tools that can conveniently help – or sometimes hinder – other characters.
The most famous is, of course, the Dokodemo Door – known as the Anywhere Door, which can transport the user immediately between two places no matter the distance, but there are plenty of intrigu.
