Yes, you read it right!
Introduction
I have been writing about humanoid and animal inspired robotics for quite some time and this time I am coming up with a different dimension of robotics on the application and material of construction with some interesting applications.
I recommend that you study my previous article (available online) on this topic to understand the depth of the entire scenario given in the reference. [1]
Soon we will be buying, using and eating various robots of your favourite flavour in vegetarian versions like strawberry flavour and non-vegetarian versions like smoky duck. One may wonder what the necessity of such a direction of research focus is and is it worth the attention and trust.
The problem I am going to address encompasses various domains of reality.
E-waste is a big topic, which we see and until today couldn't find a perfect solution for e-waste from electronics, computers, I/o interfaces, solar cells, batteries, and importantly, robotics.
Animal repelling in agricultural farms situated near forests and hills has always been a challenge to farmers and leads to many human animal conflicts which involve the forest department and local administration.
Apart from E- waste, the general public and children produce lot of toxic waste which are not biodegradable and recycling to 100 percentage never been achieved so far in these categories.
To solve these issues, we need to look for a paradigm shift of making all possible devices into an easily digestible forms either by humans or animals after use. Yes, why don't we try candy robots?
Application
We have been seen and aware of the medical robots that are going inside the body by insertion or injected. But we haven’t heard of edible robots which could be taken as snacks after intended use.
This edibleness is not only to humans but also for animals of different kinds. The idea hatched after a new paper, published an article about researchers from?Dario Floreano’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL in Switzerland?have demonstrated ingestible versions of both of?batteries?and actuators, that are the major operational parts of every robot, which makes anyone to understand the entirely ingestible robot is possible to build with controlled actuation.
The Technology
It is interesting to know first how the power source of robots can be built solely on edible material? Basically, a battery is a source of energy, and it can be used to store and release energy whenever we want. In this case of edible robots, the battery is made of gelatin and edible wax. The battery is constructed with multiple small cells which can store chemical energy in the form of liquid citric acid and baking soda. In fact, both these chemicals are safe to eat by humans, and are already available in many confectioneries in the market. Firstly, the citric acid is kept apart from the baking soda by a gelatin membrane, and sufficient pressure on the cell containing the acid is given to activate a puncture on that membrane, it allows the acid to slowly drip onto the baking soda to initiate a chemical reaction. This activates our candy battery and starts to generate Carbon di-oxide gas, along with?sodium?citrate (a byproduct common in all type of foods, starting from diary cheese to a sour candy).
Carbon dioxide gas flows through gelatin-based tubing into the actuator, a crucial component in most soft robotic designs. This actuator consists of interconnected gas cells positioned atop a slightly starchy substrate like chewing gum that flexes under pressure. Pressurizing the actuator triggers a single movement, and we need to achieve dynamic motions such as vertical or lateral shifts—resembling the locomotion of a caterpillar. This requires cyclic release of gas. The breakthrough enabling this functionality is the introduction of an innovative ingestible valve. The valve functions on the principle of snap-buckling, favoring a stable closed position. When sufficient pressure is applied, it abruptly snaps open and then returns to its closed state once the pressure subsides. In its current form, the robot performs approximately four bending cycles per minute, sustaining this motion for a few minutes before the battery is depleted. Now we are ready for a wiggly robot with all ingestible battery, valve, and an actuator, is it not Great?
Commercial production
According to Dr. Kwak, if anyone consumes this robot, the actuator and valve would have a mildly sweet flavor due to the presence of glycerol, and a texture reminiscent of gummy candy. The pneumatic battery, infused with citric acid, would offer a crunchy exterior and a tart, lemon-like interior. Although taste isn’t the primary focus of their research, we can include taste and flovours easily, which were served to human participants earlier in their research. They’re currently conducting a consumer experience analysis—perhaps a necessary step before launching a collaboration with Haribo.
Edible robots of various sizes have a wide variety of applications in agriculture, from animal feeding to animal repelling.
Conclusion
The ultimate aim of the research work is not food but to save humans and animals from the enormous e-waste that are threatening generations. The other benefits of this research may result in a new avenue in the food industry in converting all toys into an edible version. The new industry is expected to grow, and it will produce the edible material in all different flovours and nutrients may go for TV advertisements too like our robot has all 23 essential nutrients for your child’s complete growth. Etc.
References
-
S.Andrews, “Feel Robot” ICT connect Magazine, sep 2018 ( Feel Robot)
-
Evan Ackerman, “This Soft Robot Is 100% Edible, Including the Battery?It’s designed to feed medication to wild boars, but you can eat it too “ IEEE Spectrum’. Nov 2025
About the Author
Rev.Dr. Andrews Samraj is an academic and researcher specializing in Computer Science and Engineering, with a strong focus on wearable computing, cybernatics, and assistive technologies. He is a Professor at CMR University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, where he is engaged in teaching, research, and academic leadership. Holding a PhD from Multimedia University, Malaysia, with post-doctoral experience in Greece, he brings three decades of academic experience. Dr. Andrews is the author of the book Skin-Close Computing and Wearable Technology, has published extensively in international journals and conferences, and has received multiple awards from professional bodies including ISTE, NASSCOM, and IBM for his contributions to education and innovation.