Scientists create aquatic robot that turns into fish food

The research, presented in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, is part of a search for alternatives to current environmental monitoring devices made of plastic and electronic components, Efe reported on Friday.

The robot, shaped like a small boat, can move through water using reactions of carbon dioxide, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate and propylene glycol - all non-toxic and biodegradable materials - which have already allowed the device to swim for several minutes, according to a statement from EPFL.

"While the development of miniature swimming robots for natural environments has advanced rapidly, they typically rely on plastics, batteries and other electronic components. With this work, we show how they can be replaced with completely biodegradable and edible components," said EPFL PhD student Shuhang Zhang, one of the robot's developers.

The "fish food" that the robot can transform into is even more nutritious than the food sold in pet stores, containing 30% more protein and 8% less fat.

EPFL sees the possibility of producing these types of robots in large quantities to collect environmental data, such as water pH, temperature, contaminants and the presence of microorganisms.

They could also be used to provide nutrients or medicines to fish, and the possibility of creating artificial pets is even being considered, although EPFL notes that experiments are still at an early stage.

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