Completely edible robots could soon end up on our plates. In an analysis in the journal ‘Nature Reviews Materials’, a research team from Lausanne shows which ingredients can be used for the different robot parts.
Rubber can be replaced by gelatin, a chocolate film can protect robots in humid environments, and a mixture of starch and tannins, vegetable tannins, imitate commercially available glues, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) announced on Friday.
An edible battery already exists: it consists of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and quercetin, a substance found in almonds and capers. The battery terminals contain activated carbon to transport electrons. Nori seaweed ensures that short circuits are prevented.
The battery can be used with 0.65 volts as specified by EPFL. A voltage that is still safe when consumed. Two edible batteries connected in series can power a light-emitting diode for about ten minutes.
Ingredients are still missing
However, the right ingredients are still lacking for other parts of a robot. According to EPFL researchers, it is difficult to produce completely edible electronics that use transistors and process information. Connecting different parts is also a major challenge.
For example, edible robots could be used to monitor health status from within the body, to autonomously deliver targeted food in emergency situations or to vaccinate wild animals, as the researchers note in the journal.
Source: Krone
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