MPTM: liquid robot now possible

Hasta la vista, baby. A prediction from the Terminator series is now coming true, with a robot made of Magnetoactive phase transitional matter (MPTM).

What is Magnetoactive Phase Transition Matter (MPTM)?

Magnetoactive phase transitional matter (MPTM) is what the discoverers led by Lelun Jiang (Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China) call the liquid material they discovered. This metal, which can easily switch between liquid and solid form, consists of grains containing the chemical elements neodymium, iron and boron, dissolved in a material with a low melting point. In this case gallium.

In solid form, the material is fairly strong, somewhat stronger than solid gallium. That is, about a quarter of the strength of steel. So you will probably win a game of wrestling against a robot made of this material.

Applications of the liquid robot

Some experiments done with the material include soldering electrical components and assembling parts in hard-to-reach places. MPTM is also able to remove foreign objects and deliver drugs in a model of a stomach.

Removing foreign objects can be done by letting it liquefy in the stomach, swallowing the object and then solidifying it again. The delivery of medicines works the other way around: allowing a solid capsule with the medicine inside to become liquid, so that the medicine is delivered to the stomach.

How do you make a liquid robot with MPTM?

The liquid-solid MPTM is magnetoactive. This means that you can control the material using magnetic fields. Two things are important here. Changing the material from solid to liquid and vice versa and making the material move. Changing the material from solid to liquid and back again can be done by heating it (much like how an induction plate works) and then cooling it down again. The material is 12 times more magnetic in solid form than in liquid form. So you can control it with a magnetic field.

In the video above you see a robot that changes from solid to liquid and vice versa.

Nowhere in the scientific article is there any mention of a memory effect of the material. That would be spectacular news. So the researchers probably did some creative tinkering themselves to reshape the robot from the lump of the material, in Terminator style.

These probably hardcore sci-fi fans obediently claim in their article that they were inspired by the sea cucumber rather than by false imperialist sci-fi from Hollywood. But sorry Mr. Jang and colleagues, of course we don’t fall for that at all.

In short, it is a nice film and a neat performance, and within the electronics industry and medicine there are a few nice applications for this invention.

Source

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2022.12.003