Bokeon Kwak

1 Introduction Edible electronic devices are composed of ingestible, biocompatible, and food-safe materials. They have emerged as a promising platform for healthcare, food safety, and environmental monitoring applications [1-3]. These systems safely disintegrate or can be digested after fulfilling their function, enabling their use, for example, as in vivo diagnostics [4, 5], transient sensors [6], and smart packaging [7, 8].

1 Introduction Fluidic actuation is widely used in soft and biodegradable robots where the energy sources typically are positive or negative pressure motor-driven pumps[1-7] or pressurized gas canisters,[8, 9] the latter exhibiting limited operation time.[10] However, all these pressure sources are not biodegradable because they rely on electromagnetic components and electrochemical batteries (e.g., lithium polymer), which produce environmental waste and are toxic.

Abstract Edible robots and robotic food — edible systems that perceive, process and act upon stimulation — could open a new range of opportunities in health care, environmental management and the promotion of healthier eating habits. For example, they could enable precise drug delivery and in vivo health monitoring, deliver autonomously targeted nutrition in emergency situations, reduce waste in farming, facilitate wild animal vaccination and produce novel gastronomical experiences.