Robotic food could reduce electronic waste, help deliver nutrition and medicines to people and animals in need, monitor health, and even pave the way to novel gastronomical experiences.
But how far are we from having a fully edible robot for lunch or dessert? And what are the challenges? Scientists from the RoboFood project, based at EPFL, address these and other questions in a perspective article in the journal Nature Reviews Materials.
“Bringing robots and food together is a fascinating challenge,” says Dario Floreano [who] joined forces with Remko Boom from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, Jonathan Rossiter from the University of Bristol, UK, and Mario Caironi from the Italian Institute of Technology, to launch the project RoboFood.
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“We are still figuring out which edible materials work similarly to non-edible ones,” says Floreano. For example, gelatin can replace rubber, rice cookies are akin to foam, a chocolate film can protect robots in humid environments, and mixing starch and tannin can mimic commercial glues.
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Once the components are ready, the goal is to produce fully edible robots. To date, scientists have succeeded in assembling partially edible robotic systems.
In 2022, researchers from EPFL and the Wageningen University designed a drone with wings out of rice cookies glued with gelatin. Scientists at EPFL and IIT have also created a partially edible rolling robot that uses pneumatic gelatin legs and an edible tilt sensor.
