The idea of creating edible robots or food that behaves like robots may seem strange, but it’s a real challenge that the scientific community is addressing. Specifically, an international research group is working on it as part of the RoboFood project, funded by the EU and coordinated by EPFL.

“Robotics and food are two separate worlds,” says Dario Floreano, head of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS) at EPFL and coordinator of the RoboFood project. “However, merging them offers many advantages, particularly in terms of limiting electronic and food waste.”

As part of the RoboFood Project, RoboCake has been launched, an edible robotic wedding cake decorated with two robotic gummy bears and dark chocolate batteries that power the candles. The cake was unveiled at the Swiss Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka and is the result of a collaboration between researchers from EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), including chef Julien Boutonnet, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), and pastry chefs and food scientists from EHL, the Hospitality and Business education group, in Lausanne.

The two teddy bears decorating the cake, created by EPFL’s LIS, are made from gelatin, syrup, and colorants. “They are animated by an internal pneumatic system: when air is injected through dedicated pathways, their heads and arms move,” explains Bokeon Kwak, a researcher at LIS. The edible rechargeable battery, made of vitamin B2, quercetin, activated charcoal, and chocolate, was developed by the ITT team, led by Mario Caironi. “These safe-for-consumption batteries can be used to light the LED candles on the cake. The first flavor you get when you eat them is dark chocolate, followed by a surprising tangy kick, due to the edible electrolyte inside, which lasts a few seconds,” says Valerio Galli, a PhD student at IIT. These batteries represent a potential solution to reducing electronic waste, which reaches 40 million tons per year.

To make these innovations appetizing and safe to eat, the engineers collaborated with food experts and pastry chefs at EHL. “Our challenge was to find the best way to showcase the innovations of our two partners, EPFL and IIT, by adding what we do best: indulgence. This is how the RoboCake was born, a true event pastry cake, meeting the challenge of combining technique, electronics, and taste.” says Julien Boutonnet, EHL Senior Lecturer Practical Arts and France’s top distinction, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) award for pastry and candymaking.

Photos: 2025 EPFL / Jamani Caillet / (CC-BY-SA 4.0)