Key takeaways

• Edible robotics could revolutionize food delivery in emergency and industrial supply chains.
• Cross-industry collaboration is key—tech, culinary, and science teams co-developed RoboCake.
• Smart food tech can enhance safety with self-monitoring features for storage and consumption.
• Innovative materials like edible batteries open doors for sustainable, multifunctional design.

 

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I like to think of myself as a full-time foodie and part-time culinary adventurer. Right now, I’m on a delicious mission to eat my way through the best restaurants in the Chicagoland area, and I’m making good progress. In the past three years alone, I’ve devoured over 280 different dishes at more than 95 local spots. From Michelin-star restaurants and mom-and-pop diners to celebrity-chef establishments and hole-in-the-wall pubs, I’ve eaten it all. The only thing missing from my menu? An edible robotic cake.

Where robotics meets baking: The rise of RoboCake

The idea of a robotic cake might sound unbelievable, but researchers from EPFL and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT- Italian Institute of Technology) are working to make this whimsical concept a reality. According to Julie Haffner for EPFL, the team worked closely with pastry chefs and food scientists from EHL in Lausanne to bring RoboCake to life. 

RoboCake is part of the RoboFood project, which is designed to further the development of edible robots and robotic food. The fields of robotics and food science may seem like polar opposites, but RoboFood believes its advancements could have far-reaching applications, like delivering lifesaving nutrition to humans in emergency situations or supplying vaccines and supplements to endangered animal species. Edible robots could also make our foods safer, identifying when the food is well preserved and safe to eat or protecting itself from excessive heat or humidity during storage.

A taste of the future: Edible batteries and animated bears

RoboCake, which is a robotic wedding cake, is topped with edible robotic teddy bears. According to Bokeon Kwak, a researcher at LIS, the bears, which are made from gelatin, syrup and colorants, achieve animation via an internal pneumatic system. The bears’ heads and arms move when air is injected through specific pathways. 

RoboCake also features the world’s first edible rechargeable battery. Made of vitamin B2, quercetin, activated carbon and chocolate, the batteries are used to power the candles on the cake. But what does a battery taste like? Valerio Galli, a PhD student at IIT, says that "the first flavor you get when you eat them is dark chocolate, followed by a surprising tangy kick, due to the edible electrolyte inside, which lasts a few seconds.”

In a recent quote, Julien Boutonnet, EHL Senior Lecturer - Practical Arts, said, “Our challenge was to find the best way to showcase the innovations of our two partners, EPFL and IIT, by adding what we do best: indulgence. This is how the RoboCake was born, a true event pastry cake, meeting the challenge of combining technique, electronics, and taste.”