...By Judah Olanisebee for TDPel Media.
Beer-making could be improved with the help of tiny robots that can swim in it, say researchers.
Known as BeerBots, these 2mm-wide robots are made of iron oxide and contain yeast, which speeds up the fermentation process.
They can make the process happen faster, and also make it easier to separate yeast from the final beer.
The robots can be removed with a magnet, meaning the final product doesn’t require an additional filtering stage.
Dr Martin Pumera from the Czech Republic’s Brno University of Technology worked on the robot, which could potentially improve the beer-brewing process, which typically takes as long as four weeks.
The idea behind the development of the BeerBots is that the robots will move around in the beer and help it ferment faster.
During the standard fermentation process, unwanted microorganisms can get into the beer and spoil it with sour flavours.
BeerBots aim to avoid that by speeding up the process, allowing for a cleaner and more efficient brewing process.
Additionally, this approach simplifies the separation of yeast from the final beer, as they can be removed using a magnet.
Although the robots are still in development, researchers believe that they could eventually produce tastier beer, thanks to their unique and efficient brewing process.
The team hopes to continue to develop the robots and potentially make them available to brewers.
In other beer-related news, a recent study has found that moderate beer drinking could have surprising health benefits.
A beer a day could lead to a more diverse gut microbiome, which is linked to a reduction in heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and MS.
Although being teetotal is always a healthier option, moderate beer drinking could be healthier than previously thought.
