Researchers have recently created a miniature robot that can shapeshift from solid to liquid. The phase-shifting machine can also regain its original form, according to the new research.
Shapeshifting Robot Inspired By Sea Cucumber
A robot that quickly changes shape can sometimes be seen in science fiction movies alone. In real life, we often see walking machines with electrical wiring and pre-programmed to do a particular task.
However, interesting research reveals that this is not the only thing we can witness on these robots. Actually, they could transform into many forms and even a different state of matter.
According to The National News, the miniature robots are inspired by sea cucumbers which can easily shapeshift into liquid.
If they are stuck in tight places, they can easily escape from the lurking predators by liquefying themselves.
Chengfeng Pan, the study's main author, says that the ability of the robots to shapeshift from solid to liquid can open more doors to their functionality.
"Now, we're pushing this material system in more practical ways to solve some specific medical and engineering problems," the Chinese University of Hong Kong engineer adds.
The Potential Role of Shapeshifting Robots
The researchers believe these mini-robots can be useful in surgery and other related fields.
The robot dubbed a "magnetoactive solid-liquid phase transitional machine," is created by combining the magnetic components in gallium.
Aside from that, the team experimented with the strength of the robots and how fast they transform under certain situations.
They observed that the robots gathered together to climb over the walls. When there's an obstacle in their way, they disassemble and rejoin once they get past it.
Pan claims that this creation could bring more solutions when it comes to engineering and healthcare.
In another test, the researchers put the robots in a model stomach to see if they could gather the drugs inside. They discovered that the machines could slither through the circuits and repair the broken parts easily.
For Carmel Majidi, another co-author in the study from Carnegie Mellon University, future work might focus on how to use these shapeshifting robots in biomedicine.
In particular, she says these machines would have a huge role in drug delivery or foreign object removal.
To know more about the "Magnetoactive Liquid-Solid Phase Transitional Matter study," visit Matter for more information.
The paper will present you with the highlights of the study and everything you need to know about these robotic sea cucumbers.
Meanwhile, a group of YouTubers created a "Megahex" giant spider robot that we can only see in the mecha series. It took them a year to complete this project.
