The dawn of biodegradable robots

Winfield, Jonathan; Rossiter, Jonathan; Ieropoulos, Ioannis

Abstract

Robotics is a field that is not normally associated with green technology or sustainability. Robots are generally constructed using materials that are non-biodegradable, toxic and expensive. These factors can limit the potential uses that an artificial agent might have, especially if operation is required outside and away from where humans live. Things are further complicated when considering the robot’s power supply.
In most cases, batteries are used that will inevitably run out and require recharging from charging stations.
Imagine then, an environmentally friendly robot, one that can safely roam a targeted area whether that is within agricultural fields, rain forests or remote jungles. Movement would not be random but with a preset purpose built-in perhaps to identify pests, clean up human-made waste and generate electricity from it, or simply monitor/sense environmental conditions.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 12, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Sep 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Sep 12, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Journal: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: biodegradable robot, microbial fuel cell, artificial muscle
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/908054
• Publisher URL: https://communities.acs.org/community/science/sustainability/green-chemistry-nexus-blog/blog/2016/09/12/the-dawn-of-biodegradable-robots
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published version is available here: https://communities.acs.org/community/science/sustainability/green-chemistry-nexus-blog/blog/2016/09/12/the-dawn-of-biodegradable-robots.
• Contract Date: Jan 16, 2019