Edible Electronic Devices and Power Sources for Future Edible Electronic Systems

Edible electronics envisions a technology that is safe for ingestion, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. Differently from “ingestible” electronics, it aims at realizing electronic devices that are degraded within the body after performing their function, either digested or even metabolized, thus removing any retention hazard and not contributing to e-waste. Edible electronics could target a significant number of biomedical applications, such as remote healthcare monitoring, as well as food quality monitoring, in the form edible electronic tags directly in contact with food. Here I report on our recent progress in the selection and formulation of edible functional materials, in the development of edible active electronic components and circuits, as well as edible sensors and power sources. Such advancements allow to foresee the integration of the first proof-of-concept edible electronic systems for smart pills and smart packaging.