TY - JOUR AB - The paper discusses the new emerging technology of “gastrobotics”, or food‐powered mobile robots. The concept of self‐sufficiency is examined, and it is postulated that robots with stomachs offer the promise of sustained autonomous operation in an unstructured outdoor environment, which is not possible with existing alternative methods. Data is presented that compares the energy density of various foods, with that of common chemical batteries and gasoline. The various food groups are discussed as regards their suitability as fuel for gastrobots, and a variety of potential applications are presented. The basic operation of a microbial fuel cell is described in its role as an artificial stomach, thereby demonstrating how this biotechnology can efficiently convert food into electricity. VL - 28 IS - 3 SN - 0143-991X DO - 10.1108/01439910110389371 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/01439910110389371 AU - Wilkinson Stuart PY - 2001 Y1 - 2001/01/01 TI - Hungry for success – future directions in gastrobotics research T2 - Industrial Robot: An International Journal PB - MCB UP Ltd SP - 213 EP - 219 Y2 - 2024/04/25 ER -