( CNN ) -- He 's invented breathable food , flavor clouds and olfactory telephones . Now David Edwards is bringing edible food-packaging to the table . Called Wikipearl , the wrapping is held together by calcium ions and can include particles of chocolate , nuts and seeds . The idea came out of a conversation Edwards , professor of biomedical engineering at Harvard , had with a sculptor about the concept of tensegrity . `` It 's a really interesting property and relevant in terms of rethinking our packaging , '' he says . `` Suddenly packaging becomes part of the culinary experience . '' Wikipearl ice cream and yoghurt were launched in selected Paris stores last June . Read this : The solar-powered watercrafts of the future . Edwards began as a biomedical engineer in universities including MIT and Penn State . He left the latter in 1998 after he came up with the idea for inhalable insulin and was approached by Polaris Venture Partners to start a company , Advanced Inhalation Research , with three friends from MIT . It was sold in 1999 to biopharma company Alkermes . After three more years in academia at Harvard , Edwards left in 2005 for a sabbatical in Paris . `` I had a nebular notion to create an experimental cultural organization in the center of Paris , '' says Edwards , whose book , ArtScience : Creativity in the Post-Google Generation , was published in 2008 . Read this : The 'talking ' streetlamps that save energy . He founded Le Laboratoire , a contemporary art and design center , in 2007 . The first products to come out of Le Lab were Andrea , a plant-based air filter , and LeWhif , a chocolate inhaler . `` Our first products were viewed as whimsical and provocative and not taken seriously as commercial products , '' says Edwards . `` Our commercial success now is completely based on being able to not care about the market and play with ideas . '' Edwards says the AeroShot , an air-based energy shot with 100mg of caffeine plus B vitamins , will be in 50,000 stores by the end of the year . Also , last May , he opened an exhibition around the OPHONE , a device that allows users to send olfactory messages . `` I 'm fascinated by olfactive communication , '' says Edwards . `` More than visual and auditory , it has real physiological impact . '' Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
Biomedical engineer David Edwards has invented fully edible packaging called Wikipearl . Real foodstuff is combined with calcium ions to wipe out the need for plastic wrapping . Wikipearl ice cream and yoghurt were launched in selected Paris stores last June .