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Dec 9, 2025
Bio-hybrid robots turn food waste into functional machines
Terra Daily
Although many roboticists today turn to nature to inspire their designs, even bioinspired robots are usually fabricated from non-biological materials like metal, plastic and composites. But a new experimental robotic manipulator from the Computational Robot Design and Fabrication Lab (CREATE Lab) in EPFL's School of Engineering turns this trend on its head: its main feature is a pair of langoustine abdomen exoskeletons.
Although it may look unusual, CREATE Lab head Josie Hughes explains that combining biological elements with synthetic components holds significant potential not only to enhance robotics, but also to support sustainable technology systems.
"Exoskeletons combine mineralized shells with joint membranes, providing a balance of rigidity and flexibility that allows their segments to move independently. These features enable crustaceans' rapid, high-torque movements in water, but they can also be very useful for robotics. And by repurposing food waste, we propose a sustainable cyclic design process in which materials can be recycled and adapted for new tasks."
In a paper published in Advanced Science, Hughes and her team demonstrate three robotic applications by reinforcing and augmenting langoustine abdomen exoskeletons with synthetic components: a manipulator that can handle objects weighing up to 500 g, grippers that can bend and grasp various objects, and a swimming robot.
They achieved this by embedding an elastomer inside the exoskeleton to control each of its segments and then mounting it on a motorized base to modulate its stiffness response (extension and flexion). Finally, the team covered the exoskeleton in a silicon coating to reinforce it and extend its lifespan.
When mounted on the motorized base, the device can be used to move an object weighing up to 500 g into a target zone. When mounted as a gripping pair, two exoskeletons can successfully grasp a variety of objects ranging in size and shape from a highlighter pen to a tomato. The rob
