Title: Soft Pneumatic Gelatin Actuator for Edible Robotics,
Abstract: We present a fully edible pneumatic actuator based on gelatin-glycerol
composite. The actuator is monolithic, fabricated via a molding process, and
measures 90 mm in length, 20 mm in width, and 17 mm in thickness. Thanks to the
composite mechanical characteristics similar to those of silicone elastomers,
the actuator exhibits a bending angle of 170.3 ° and a blocked force of
0.34 N at the applied pressure of 25 kPa. These values are comparable to
elastomer based pneumatic actuators. As a validation example, two actuators are
integrated to form a gripper capable of handling various objects, highlighting
the high performance and applicability of the edible actuator. These edible
actuators, combined with other recent edible materials and electronics, could
lay the foundation for a new type of edible robots.