Discoveries

February 09, 2023

Shape-shifter

Listen to Today's Edition

The movie “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” introduced audiences to the T-1000, a killer android that could easily change its shape.

While the character played by Robert Patrick is fictional, a group of scientists recently developed a similar miniature – and non-violent – version of the terminator, the Washington Post reported.

In their study, the research team explained that the tiny robot can melt, turn into a solid, and complete tasks through the use of magnetic fields. They created it using a composite of metals with a low melting point.

The team conducted a series of experiments, including a cage escape – slightly similar to the movie. They applied magnetic fields at alternating currents to increase the robot’s temperature to 95 Fahrenheit and caused it to morph from a solid into a liquid state in less than two minutes.

In liquid form, the automaton could then be steered through gaps in the locked cage by more magnets.

In another instance, researchers showed how the robot could be used to successfully remove foreign objects from a model of the human stomach.

The findings mark the first time a material capable of shapeshifting and carrying heavy loads has been identified for use in microbots.

The authors suggested that the new robot could be used in clinical and mechanical settings by reaching hard-to-reach spaces. They added that there are still limitations to the prototype as it still needs human input to make it work – unlike the T-1000 which is fully autonomous.

Even so, the science team is confident that future research will not result in killer bots.

This story originally appeared in the February 09, 2023 newsletter, Rumbles in the Household.