Shape-Shifting Robot That Can Liquefy And Regain Shape Is Created By Scientists
We have all seen the shape-shifting robot T-1000 from “Terminator 2.” Fans of the 1991 movie got shivers from the character, and skeptics questioned whether such a thing can ever be viable. However, science has made it possible in the last 30 years. They announced the development of a robot earlier this month that can alternate between solid and liquid phases, enabling it to move through a variety of barriers and situations without sacrificing strength. Researchers used the technology in several contexts to show the robot’s capabilities.
Researchers from China who were in charge of the study claimed that the robot’s capacity to get around restrictions makes it beneficial in industries like electrical manufacturing and the medical sector.
The research describing this innovation was published in Matter. It explains how tiny magnetic particles were incorporated into the liquid metal, and how those particles changed the metal’s temperature based on changing its magnetic properties.
Along with the study, the researchers also made a video showing the robot altering its state. It displays the little robot imprisoned. A few seconds later, it emerges from the cell and is shown raising its temperature before melting to the ground like the T-1000 from Terminator 2. After emerging, it immediately takes on its original shape by cooling down.
Scientists claimed that sea cucumbers, which can modify the stiffness of their tissues to boost load capacity and reduce physical damage, served as inspiration.
The researchers employed gallium, a soft metal with a melting point of 29.76 degrees Celsius, to make the robot. Scientists say they produced a magnetoactive solid-liquid phase transitional machine by embedding a combination of magnetic particles inside gallium.
The machine will now be used in real-world situations, but the scientists claim it needs some adjustments for that.
News Mania Desk
