Swiss researchers create edible drone for emergency scenarios

It may not be the tastiest meal ever flown, but researchers in Switzerland have developed an edible drone designed to serve as life-sustaining nutrition for people stranded in emergency situations.

Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne created the edible drone by prioritizing caloric content over aerodynamics or technical sophistication. In fact, the only engineering requirement was for the craft to be able to fly to its destination without falling apart en route; from there, the focus was entirely on how it would deliver once inside the stomach of the person receiving it.

To make the edible drone concept (ahem) fly, the team used a thin, rudimentary fuselage, tail, and propeller unit strapped between two wings made of rice cakes. Those round crackers caught researchers’ attention for sharing the lightweight yet durable characteristics of expanded polypropylene packing foam. They relied on laser tech to cut the wafers into hexagon…