Scientists from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have created an edible aquatic robot for monitoring water quality that fish can eat without facing any harm.
According to a report on 8 May, the robot which has the attributes of insects and other aquatic organisms is made from fish food rather than the plastic that previous water monitoring robots have been made from.
This is in a bid to ensure eco-friendly monitoring of water quality that doesn’t bring harm to aquatic life.
Rewriting the future of robotic science
This is a major breakthrough in the field of edible robots, which according to the scientists is not only harmless to fish and other sea animals but also beneficial.
Made in the shape of a boat, the robot uses the Marangoni effect used by some aquatic insects to propel themselves across the surface of water.
It uses a chemical reaction within a tiny detachable chamber that produces carbon dioxide gas, which in turn enters a fuel channel, forcing the fuel out and results in propulsion.
Commenting, PhD student Shuhang Zhang who is part of the research team from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, led by Dario Floreano in the School of Engineering at EPFL said:
“While the development of miniature swimming robots for natural environments has progressed rapidly, these typically rely on plastics, batteries, and other electronics, which pose challenges for mass deployment in sensitive ecosystems. In this work, we show how those materials can be replaced by completely biodegradable and edible components.”
The researchers used fish food with a 30% higher protein content and 8% lower fat content than commercial pellets to strengthen the robot and add rigidity that resembles the exoskeleton of insects, making it a nourishment for aquatic animals when it stops working.
Ready for deployment
As the researchers have tested and found that the robots are safe for the oceans, the next step is to deploy them in large quantities in water bodies.
Each of them would be equipped with biodegradable sensors for collecting environmental data like water pH, temperature, pollutants, and the presence of microorganisms.
Such data can be read out after collection or by remote sensing, and the robots can be used to deliver nutrients or medication to fish as well.
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