Robot Lab Live Highlights - Edible and Biodegradable Soft Robots of the Future!

This demonstration introduces a gelatin-glycerol hydrogel material which exhibits soft properties similar to silicone but is also conductive, biodegradable and edible!

This demo will show how the development of this material was enabled by modern additive manufacturing techniques by 3D printing it live on camera. Viewers will get to see its deformable and conductive properties in pre-made soft wearable devices and sensors.

The team will then demonstrate the material’s edible and biodegradable properties by making a robot dip a strawberry in melted chocolate followed by biting into the robot’s gripper. You read that right, we will eat a robot live on camera!

Robot Lab Live is a virtual robotics showcase, hosted by the UK-RAS Network, and featuring 12 of the UK’s top robotics labs.