This is the story of how a NYU student built a working burrito robot as part of his master's thesis and became the most popular guy on campus.

The last part is just a theory of ours, but anyone who builds a working burrito robot deserves to sit at the top of the social ladder. Marko Manriquez recently completed The Burritob0t, a 3D printer that prints burrito ingredients. It's controlled by software that allows a user to choose toppings via a slider system interface, including guacamole, salsa and sour cream. After an order is entered the BurritoB0t kindly prints tacos right in front of your open mouth. More specific tech info is available on the site. 

Instant gratification aside, Manriquez's project has a deeper purpose. In creating the Burritob0t he's hoping to instigate a discussion around the hidden impact that fast food businesses have on labour practices, the environment and our health. He's planning to take Burritob0t public this summmer by cooking and printing edible burritos in a New York park; let's just hope he hasn't created a monster (unless it's a monster burrito).

Images: Marko Manriquez via Flickr