Edible wing drone could save people in distress

The developers thought about those who are stuck in hard-to-reach places and help takes time. Drones with edible wings could carry water and medicine to save those who could take days to rescue, but their plight has been localized, CNET reported.

A team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne has developed a prototype edible drone, and a study has been published. The chewable machine is part of a wider project called RoboFood.

IEEE Spectrum spoke to lead author Bokeon Kwak, who says the drone’s wing contains rice crackers and gelatin, and “tastes like a crispy rice cracker with a little bit of raw gelatin”.

To make the wings, the researchers used a laser cutter to cut out round rice crispies and then glued them together with gelatin to create a wing structure that could withstand flight. The rice is strong but light, yet sufficiently nutritious.

The team is now planning how to make the drone more nutritious and use more edible parts in its construction. The prototype drone has successfully completed a test flight and could soon be in the field.

Source: CNET