Robots are pretty cool. Ummm, I mean delicious. We have been building all kinds of robots that could climb ladders, fly like bats, cook food, serve coffee, play music, and whatnot. The possibilities are endless, but no one could have ever thought of making a robot can we can eat. Not no one, because a team of researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) did not only imagine but also successfully made a fully functional robot out of edible gelatin. The edible robot was presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Canada.
Researchers around the world have been testing many soft robotics concepts, to make human interaction easier and safer. This particular one is a whole level ahead as it is made up of edible gelatin and glycerine. That just not mean the robot’s body and the limbs, but it also includes thee sensors, batteries, and transistors, all of which are digestible. If you ever tried treating yourself to unflavored gelatin, you would never put this robot in your mouth.
What good is an edible robot? Why not make them the regular, more sustainable way? The researchers say that engulfing small edible bots could help us deal with some internal problems and help to heal. Since the materials are biodegradable, the robots can easily be disposed of off without the fear of hazardous waste. The best parts will be the “food transportation where the robot does not require additional payload because the robot is the food,” reads the paper.
Let us all forget the food delivery robots because, a couple of decades later, our food shaped like a robot will walk itself right to our mouths. Now that is one genius idea that we probably have not even seen in science fiction movies. Or have we?