3D-Printed "Udon Cables" Arrive—Where Expiration Dates and Warranties Blur

A university research team has developed conductive paste made from wheat flour, successfully 3D-printing power cords in udon noodle form. While boasting first-class elasticity and chewiness, the durability is "within expiration date," leaving appliance manufacturers in stunned silence.

2025-07-10

Translations: JA

Daily Surprise

At the opening tasting—rather, prototype demonstration—what was unveiled was the bizarre sight of a single glossy white “udon” noodle running directly from an outlet to a laptop. 100V voltage, 48% water content chewiness. The engineering professor leading the research boasted, “Noodles are meant to be stretched, wires are meant to be extended. So they should be made with the same tools.” However, the press corps tilted their heads through the steam, wondering if extension cords might get overcooked and soggy.

The key to development is “conductive binding flour” mixed with silver nanoparticles and salt into wheat flour. It’s soft when extruded from the printer head, and after half a day of drying at room temperature, insulating coating naturally forms. The professor proudly declares it “a fusion of flour-based cuisine culture and the semiconductor industry,” but a flour-based restaurant owner in Kansai quipped, “Okonomiyaki and takoyaki are fusion enough!”

Meanwhile, appliance manufacturers maintain cautious stances with statements like “Currently reviewing wheat allergy response guidelines” and “Testing internally whether mold or short circuits come first.” Social media is already buzzing with “Oil splatter = electrifying thrill” and “If the dog chews it, it becomes dinner,” but legal departments are scrambling to create standards that protect both stomachs and circuit breakers.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry established a “blended broth” task force combining the Food Sanitation Act and Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act the same day. While advocating for “a society where we can conduct electricity deliciously and safely,” officials are perplexed, saying “There’s no precedent for legally edible electrical wires.” From a resource circulation perspective, it’s highly rated as “zero waste if you boil and eat broken wires,” but concerns mount about the double punch of “upset stomach & tripped breaker” when resistance increases past the expiration date.

Market research firm Norittoukenchiku predicts a domestic scale of 100,000 portions (reaching Mt. Fuji’s third station in length) by 2026, coinciding with foodtech appliance expansion. While envisioning new consumption styles like “ordering two portions of cord delivery-style, using leftovers for kamatama udon,” appliance departments struggle with pricing “recommended pots for boiling electrical wires.” Eco-advocates pressure for “next, soba LAN cables for gluten-free options.”

Still, weak current critics evaluate “the straightforwardness of expiration date = product lifespan would make even Apple tip its hat,” while noting “durability tests ended with the three-stage conjugation of ‘slippery → snap → slurp.’” Echoing the classic rakugo story “Toki Soba,” voices ask “What amperage is it now?” but the lab only mystically responds, “Current flows, but noodle broth does not.”

A future where consumers’ stomachs and outlets share the same expiration date. Setting aside its merits, an era when dried power cords in the corner of the refrigerator whisper “Make me into hot pot today” may be surprisingly near.

Stakeholder Comments

Development Professor: “We’re also prototyping black cables with squid ink. You can taste both midnight snacks and blackouts simultaneously”
Major Appliance Manufacturer PR: “Our comment is al dente, please wait a moment”
Consumer Affairs Agency Official: “Neither overcooked noodles nor extended warranties sit well in the stomach”
Environmental NPO: “Broken wires are leftovers. Take responsibility to finish eating”
Pet Shiba Inu (with chewing habit): “More elastic than pasta, very satisfying woof!…but I don’t want to get shocked woof”
Electric Meter: “Today’s flow of noodles was beyond calculation”
Flour Association: “Dust flour even for high voltage”
Culinary Researcher: “Save the boiling water for soup stock. Resistance to zero”
Street Stray Cat: “Warm cords are hot water bottle substitutes. Whether I eat them depends on my mood”
Circuit Breaker: “On days when stomach bugs won’t settle, I’ll trip”