Researchers created an almond-based edible battery!

Italian researchers have created an edible battery that might pave the way for ingestible medical equipment to be powered. The fact that the battery is built of common components found in almonds and capers makes it even more intriguing because it means that scientists didn't have to develop a whole new product to make it function.

It's not unusual for ingestible devices to be used in medical procedures. The existing state of these devices prevents them from being digested, necessitating surgical intervention if something goes wrong and they cannot be removed as intended.

Because the battery is built of substances the body can easily degrade, it can be used in this situation. Riboflavin, a vitamin found in almonds, and quercetin, a dietary supplement found in capers, make up the device's core electrodes.

The edible battery may be used to power event soft robots, like as the magnetic slime we saw emerge in articles a few months ago, in addition to medical gadgets like cameras and biosensors.

In a report they published in Advanced Materials, the researchers describe the edible battery prototype. It now runs at 0.65 volts and is rechargeable. Unfortunately, the little rectangular battery needs to be recharged outside.

The promise this prototype holds, though, makes the development of it interesting. It could transform how we utilize medical devices in the body as they become more sophisticated if it can be digested without difficulty and if researchers can figure out how to recharge it inside the human body.

According to the researchers, it is the world's first rechargeable and edible battery. Although it won't be the last we see, the battery might encourage others to develop alternatives that are similar to it or perhaps come up with new ways to produce edible batteries from other food-related components.