Bio-hybrid robots turn food waste into functional machines - Robohub

Researchers at EPFL’s CREATE Lab have developed a novel bio-hybrid robotic manipulator that incorporates langoustine abdomen exoskeletons—repurposed from food industry waste—combined with synthetic components to create functional machines. This approach leverages the natural balance of rigidity and flexibility found in crustacean exoskeletons, which enable rapid, high-torque movements, and integrates them with elastomers and motorized bases to control segment movement and stiffness. The team demonstrated three robotic applications: a manipulator capable of handling objects up to 500 grams, grippers that can grasp various items, and a swimming robot propelled by flapping exoskeletal fins reaching speeds of 11 cm/s. The design emphasizes sustainability through a cyclic process of design, operation, and recycling, where biological and synthetic parts can be separated and reused after deployment. Despite challenges such as natural variability in biological structures causing asymmetrical bending in the grippers, the researchers propose that advances in synthetic control mechanisms could address these issues