(Alain Herzog/Epfl via SWNS)
By Dean Murray
Researchers have made a robot that can be eaten after use.
The environmentally friendly water bot consists of fish food and can be used to monitor the environment and deliver nutrients.
It creates a chemical reaction in a tiny removable chamber that writes out carbon dioxide gas to promote it.
The boot -shaped robot was developed by scientists at EPFL Research University in Switzerland.
It uses the same phenomenon -the Marangoni effect -used by some aquatic insects to drive over the water surface. As soon as his tasks are done, it can be eaten by fish.
(Alain Herzog/Epfl via SWNS)
Shuhang Zhang, PhD student of the EPFL, said: “While the development of miniature swimming robots for natural environments is quickly advanced, they typically rely on plastic, batteries and other electronics that face the challenges for mass use in sensitive ecosystems.
“In this work we show how these materials can be replaced by completely biodegradable and edible components.”
The EPFL team imagines that the robots could be used in large numbers. Each device would be equipped with biodegradable sensors for collecting environmental data such as water, temperature, pollutants and the presence of microorganisms, which can be read after collection or by removal.
Shuhang Zhang and a team from the laboratory for intelligent systems, led by Dario Floreano at the School of Engineering, recently reported work in Nature Communications.
“The replacement of electronic waste by biodegradable materials is an intensive examination, edible materials with targeted nutritional profiles and functions have hardly been taken into account and open up a world full of opportunities for the health of people and animals,” said Floreano.