cis could blend a very special drug into an ice
enfold something soft, cold or hot. He named it
cream flavor, the inventor said sure, why not.
WikiPearl.
The result was champagne-flavored ice cream
The first part of its name, Wiki, refers to that
with a dose of Viagra. Champagne was their
fluid online collaboration where we can edit and
recommendation, Francis told me. “We tried
update in the blink of an eye. Edwards’s hope
oyster, but it wasn’t that tasty.”
is that his inventions can be a real-world wiki
I asked the inventor if he tried the product,
through conversations and through in-person
and he answered quickly: no. He also wouldn’t
feedback. Along with technological advanceelaborate on the celebrity, or where he got the
ments, the WikiPearl applications will be
prescription, but I can only assume it was a
pushed along an endless spectrum, from dairy
rousing success. Unfortunately there are no
to juices, cocktails, and even soups.
plans to market the product.
Shaped like a small orb, a WikiPearl is comInspired by the vast imagination of Mr. Deposed of two parts: the inner ‘heart’, the food
licious, Spanish
or beverage, and the
physicist Manuel
‘skin’, a natural bioLinares created a
degradable covering
tutti frutti–flavored
formed from a proice cream dubbed
tective electrostatic
‘Xamaleón’ that
gel made of food
transitions from
particles, nutritive
light blue to pinkish
ions, and a polysacpurple as you lick
charide. The exteyour way through
rior maintains its
the treat. To create
strength and holds
the effect, Linares
the contents even as
sprays his ice cream
the center begins to
with a scientific
thaw. Yogurt makmist that he refers
ers Stonyfield Farms
to as his ‘love elixir’.
are currently using
What’s in the mist
the method to sell
is secret, but what’s
yogurt at Whole
been reported in
Foods in the Bosscience journals is
ton area, and there
that temperature
are plans to roll out
Wikipearls. Photo by Phase One Photography.
and acids in the huto the Northeast
man mouth trigger
this fall. Eventually,
the color shift. The physicist–turned–cook has
products using this technology would no longer
submitted a patent for his invention, and in the need actual throwaway packaging.
meantime he is working on his next science
Edwards is fiddling with all kinds of foodexperiment.
delivery systems and is planning to make them
Have any plans to hit Spain this fall? Linares’
available to the public at his newest venture,
shop, IceXperience, has locations in Calella de
The Lab Cambridge. Part museum, event space,
Mar, Barcelona, and Blanes, Girona.
café, store, and classroom, all rolled into one
really cool innovation experience, The Lab
David Edwards, materials scientist, Harvard
Cambridge is slated to open late October 2014.
professor, and author of The Lab: Creativity and
Modeled on his first location, Le Laboratoire,
Culture, envisions a future where artistic and
or The Lab Paris, which was opened seven years
scientific collaborations take place out in the
ago, the only question you might have is: why
open for everyone to see. He is also the man
did he wait so long?
behind ice cream you can hold in your hand,
or stash in your purse for later. His idea was
I suppose endless options aren’t a bad thing,
simple, to make edible packaging that could
especially when we’re talking ice cream.
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SciArt in America October 2014