WATCH: Robot Liquefies Then Re-Forms In Scientific Breakthrough

Trevor MaukJanuary 26, 2023

Recent breakthroughs by scientists led to the creation of a robot It can switch between liquid and solid states, which allows it to navigate through many obstacles and environments.

Researchers used the technology in different situations. Robots were able to navigate obstacles and to deliver and retrieve objects from a model human stomach. A robot that looks similar to a Lego Minifigure was even created. It could escape from a cage using liquefying. Once out, it can then return to its original form.

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ScienceAlert reported The experiment was published in the journal. It is noted that the authors were inspired by the Sea Cucumber shapeshifter, which can change between physical states by changing its internal temperature. Published in MatterThe following describes how microscopic magnetic particles were embedded within liquid metal. It also explains how these particles heated and cooled metal by adjusting magnetic functions. This changes the metal’s physical state.

“The magnetic particles here have two roles,” says Carmel Majidi, Carnegie Mellon University’s senior author and mechanical engineer in this experiment. “One is that they make the material responsive to an alternating magnetic field, so you can, through induction, heat up the material and cause the phase change. But the magnetic particles also give the robots mobility and the ability to move in response to the magnetic field.”

Because of its low melting points (around 86 degrees Fahrenheit), gallium proved to be the perfect metal for this experiment. The metal is described as having a “high melting point” by the authors. “high mechanical strength, high load capacity, and fast locomotion speed in the solid phase with excellent morphological adaptability (elongation, splitting, and merging) in the liquid phase.”

Chengfeng Pan is a leader of the study and an engineer at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “Giving robots the ability to switch between liquid and solid states endows them with more functionality.”

Researchers show how this technology can remove foreign objects from the stomachs of a human model.

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“More functionality” This technology opens up new opportunities, particularly in the electrical and mechanical fields. Robots could be used to enter spaces and fix things in tight or dangerous places. It could also be used to conduct circuits.

Majidi suggests, however, that the new robotic technology be explored further in the biomedical area. While gallium proved to be successful for the experiments, the metal will likely be insufficient for biomedical applications due to its melting point being so low – lower than the ambient temperature of the human body. ScienceAlert says that although a gallium alloy may be possible, it is unlikely.

“What we’re showing are just one-off demonstrations, proofs of concept, but much more study will be required to delve into how this could actually be used for drug delivery or for removing foreign objects,” Majidi said.