A self-propelled liquid metal motor may bring us a step closer to creating a robot similar to T-1000, the shape-shifting robot that appeared in the Hollywood movie Terminator 2.
Researchers from the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, developed the first liquid metal robot of the world, which can power itself and also change shapes.
"The soft machine looks rather intelligent and [can] deform itself according to the space it voyages in, just like [the] Terminator does from the science-fiction film," said Jing Liu at the Tsinghua University. "These unusual behaviors perfectly resemble the living organisms in nature."
The motor is prepared from galinstan, which is an alloy of gallium. The melting point of gallium is 29.76 degrees Celsius, or 85.57 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists suggest that galinstan is made of 68.5 percent gallium, 10 percent tin and 21.5 percent indium, and the melting point of the alloy is just 19 degrees Celsius, which means that galinstan is in liquid form when at room temperature.
If a drop of the metal alloy is put in a solution of sodium hydroxide and left in connection with an aluminium flake, which the alloy utilizes as fuel, the liquid metal can move on its own for about 30 minutes, the scientists discovered.
The research team suggests that the alloy can have immediate applications in many fields, such as moving liquid via a cooling device without the requirement of an external source of power.
Liu said that a robot built with the help of the alloy can also be used for monitoring the environment, delivering materials through pipes, or moving substances through blood vessels.
The gallium alloy can form complex shapes when electrical current is applied to it. It turns back to its normal shape when the electrical current is turned off. Liu suggests that a couple of methods can be used to change the velocity of the galinstan drops, or coordinate independent drops together.
Experts in the field believe that the development of the new alloy is a step toward creating artificial life, as seen in some Hollywood movies such as Flubber.
The study is detailed in the journal Advanced Materials. Learn more from the video below:
