Scientists Are Getting Closer to Making Edible Gelatin Robots That Can Function Inside Your Body

In the near future, you may be able to eat a robot that will heal you or provide nutrients. It may sound like science fiction, but researchers are closing in on the creation of an ingestible robot that can perform a variety of functions from within the human body. At the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Vancouver last week, researchers from Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) presented a prototype of a gelatin-based actuator, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' magazine, Spectrum. Actuators are the components that allow a mechanism to physically move. So, while doctors can already insert machines like pacemakers into your body, those are stationary and also require invasive surgery.