Robots fashioned from dead lobster exoskeletons have awesome strength, light weight, and flexibility — necrobotics advance mixes sustainable food waste with synthetic components

Swiss scientists have developed robots using dead lobster exoskeletons, showcasing their strength, lightweight, and flexibility in various robotic applications. This innovative approach, known as necrobotics, combines sustainable food waste with synthetic components to create bio-hybrid robotics. By repurposing crustacean shells from food production waste, the researchers demonstrate a sustainable design process that recycles materials for new tasks. The use of chitin, a natural biopolymer found in crustaceans, contributes to the strength, flexibility, and biodegradability of these robotic exoskeletons. Future research aims to enhance these necrobotic systems with advanced synthetic augmentation mechanisms for improved performance.