Laser Cut Sushi [MakerID-18]

Our Maker Faire: Laser Cut Sushi

The goal for our project was to create laser cut patterns on seaweed. We wanted to make sushi more accessible to picky kids by making the appearance appealing. We were inspired by this post: https://makezine.com/projects/laser-cut-sushi/. We thought the idea of laser cutting seaweed was creative, fun, and achievable. Some people may think sushi is weird or gross, but we think that if they see it in a new light, they might find sushi as delicious as we do.

Cutting the Seaweed

The ‘new light’ we tried was making the seaweed look fancy. We designed our pattern for the seaweed using Adobe Illustrator. It was slightly confusing at first, but after a few minutes we got the hang of it. To use the laser cutter, we needed to watch a video and pass a test, which we managed to finish early on. Then, we were free to design and cut!

Designing one test pattern on Adobe Illustrator.

Our finished product

Here is a video of the process:

At one point during the printing process of our test pieces, something went wrong. Instead of cutting the design, the laser cutter shuffled back and forth rapidly, like a small excited dog. After a few seconds, we turned it off and asked for help. We learned our mistake was because of a technical error, and after a test, we were back on track.

Making the Sushi

We decided to test our seaweed and make some sushi before the Maker Faire. To make it, you lay out a piece of seaweed, spread rice over it with a paddle, place your desired fillings in the middle, and wrap it up! The holes in the seaweed didn’t end up being a problem at all, thankfully. Below are some pictures of our attempts:

Conclusion

We learned a lot from this Maker Faire project. For instance, in the beginning, we had little idea what the laser cutter was, or how to use Adobe Illustrator. Now, a mere fortnight later, we have created three different patterns and cut many sheets of seaweed.

Of course, if we had more time, there are things we would like to do. The patterns we have now are simple, based on geometrical shapes. If we had more time, we would like to make more complex designs, maybe inspired by nature.

If other groups were looking to try this project, or something like it, some advice we would give is to be prepared ahead of time for the day of the Faire and test the seaweed to make sure it works.

This project is great because other than ingredients, it doesn’t cost anything. Because of the laser cutter in the science room, we didn’t need any outside materials. We bought the rice, vegetables, seaweed, and other toppings ourselves, and brought dishes from home.

Enjoy!

Phoebe and Sarinah