Robots can eat for energy like humans

British scientists have successfully built a robot capable of eating and digesting food for energy like humans.

Researchers at the Robot Laboratory of the University of Bristol, UK, are developing a "soft robot" capable of eating living organisms and digesting them to produce energy that can even die out of age. Like human beings, Express said on Nov. 8.

Robot with a size of 30cm filter algae in water to make food. Photo: Bristol University.

The robot looks like a living creature moving on the water. Its mouth is a polymer membrane that filters algae in water, and the stomach is a microbial fuel cell (MFC) that decomposes organic matter into energy.

This type of organic digestible robot is expected to soon become an important tool in addressing the problem of algal blooms in aquatic ecosystems, excess nutrients and clean up the water environment, said Jonathan Rossiter, a member of the research team.

"We want to make robots capable of eating pollutants, which then decompose without leaving a trace when they die , " Rossiter said.

The team is also planning to build a humanoid robot with artificial intelligence, capable of eating food for energy similarity in science fiction films.