A pair of MIT grads are looking to reinvent the baby spoon, and they are using 3D printing to perfect their design.

The product is called Spuni, and it is inspired by how babies eat. Why are today’s infant spoons just shrunk down versions of adult spoons? Nothing is adapted to the ergonomic needs of a child.

The Spuni team set off to create the perfect design, first creating prototypes in wood and later employing 3D printing to refine the shape and fabricate spoons that they could test on real babies.

Now the team is ready to scale up manufacturing for fulfillment to customers in April 2013. To do so, Spuni is looking to raise $35,000 on Indiegogo.

Here’s the opening pitch from the team’s Indiegogo page:

There comes a point in a baby’s life when he or she starts eating solid food. For parents, this means more cleaning. For a baby, a face full of food that needs to be wiped. This eating is messy. One reason? Most baby spoons are smaller versions of adult spoons, and they are not ergonomically engineered to help a baby transition to solids.

Spuni is not just a small spoon. Spuni’s unique “tulip” profile is designed to trigger the instinctive latching reaction that babies develop during breast and bottle feeding. It allows a baby to suck food off the spoon with less spillover, making each meal a more pleasurable experience for all.

Although the original prototypes were created using 3D printing, the Spuni team expects to manufacture spoons that are in accordance with best practices for baby products.

The mass produced spoons will be made through a three-step injection-mold process. The rigid inner structure is made from colored Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) with a softer over-molded transparent TPE outer material. These materials are dishwasher safe, non-toxic and Phthalate (BPA & BPS) and PVC free. We believe that Spuni will offer the best spoon for babies when it comes to contemporary material selection, safety and tactile experience.

And watch their full video here:

We are excited to see some innovative consumer products in this week’s Friday Finds from Shapeways.

Above, the Splat Palette by Polychemy, when you want to paint with a variety of colors.

Here is an innovative idea, a Guitar Strap Pick Holder by DreamTree Imagination Studio.

And finally, an iPhone Case Ripple by Spaho Design, a 3D printed optical illusion.

Via Shapeways blog.

Using flexible, proprietary plastics called Melflex, Melissas’ shoes are created on demand using 3D printing technology.

Fashion? Yes, fashion.

This example provides a glimpse of the future – how 3D printing will pervade every industry and change the way we manufacture consumer products. Imagine walking into a shoe store, picking out a style, getting your feet measured and then having shoes made to order while you sit comfortably with a glass of cucumber water and a magazine. It will happen.

Read more about Melissas’ shoes experiments in Green Fashion.