We’ve all seen the shapeshifting robot T-1000 from ‘Terminator 2’. The character in the 1991 film gave fans goosebumps and made scientists wonder if such a thing is ever possible. But scientists have made it possible in 30 years. They announced earlier this month the development of a robot that can switch between solid and liquid states, allowing it to navigate through a variety of obstacles and environments without sacrificing strength. Researchers used the technology in a variety of scenarios to demonstrate the robot’s capabilities.
The scientists stated that the robot’s ability to overcome limitations makes it useful in areas such as electronic assembly and medicine. The study that led to this breakthrough was published in Matter. It describes how microscopic magnetic particles were embedded in liquid metal and heated and cooled the metal by adjusting the
magnetic functions.
Along with the study, the researchers released a video of the robot changing its state. It depicts a small robot being imprisoned. It is seen seconds later melting to the
ground, similar to the T-1000 in Terminator 2, by increasing its temperature and exiting the cell. After coming out, it immediately returns to its original shape by cooling down.
How the robot is made?
The scientists were inspired by sea cucumbers, which can change the stiffness of their tissues to increase load capacity and limit physical damage.
Gallium, a soft metal with a melting point of 29.76 degrees Celsius, was used by the researchers to create the robot. Scientists created a “magnetoactive solid-liquid phase transitional machine” by embedding a gallium mixture with magnetic particles.
“The magnetic particles in this case serve two functions. One advantage is that they make the material responsive to an alternating magnetic field, allowing you to heat up the material and cause the phase change through induction. The magnetic particles, on the other hand, provide the robots with mobility and the ability to move in response to the magnetic field “Carmel Majidi, a mechanical engineer at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the study’s authors, stated.
