This metal robot can liquefy within seconds
Researchers from China and the United States have developed a robot that can change its physical state. For example, it can liquefy and then return to a solid state.
We are in a dystopian future: robots are after humans who are on the run. You think you’re safe in a locked room, but suddenly something liquid flows under the door. A robot that subsequently returns to a solid state.
What initially sounds like crazy fiction could soon become a reality. Because researchers from the United States and China recently demonstrated such a scenario in one Video. It shows a small robot behind bars – but not for very long.
Robot can liquify from new material mix
The robot consists of the element gallium and microparticles of neodymium, iron and boron. The advantage of gallium is that it melts at just 29.8 degrees Celsius. This is ensured by an electromagnetic field that changes its own polarity at short intervals. The figure becomes a tough mass that can squeeze through the lattice, for example.
The liquid mass can then move with the help of the embedded microparticles. The problem is and remains the return to its original form. Because the robot needs another mold for this. Nevertheless, a lot is possible with the new approach, which is based on the T-1000 from Terminator 2.
Areas of application in trade and medicine are conceivable
In the future, however, helpful mechanisms could emerge from the small robot. Because it could be used in the craft or medical field.
In a first attempt, for example, the material flowed into boreholes and held two plastic plates together in a stable and firm manner.
It is not yet clear when the machine will be available. However, further tests and versions should show to what extent the technology can assert itself in everyday life.
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