Some time ago, for science fiction lovers, films entitled "Terminator" were released in which a robot was capable of changing the state of its component matter to repair damage or to escape captivity.
Good. According to the article published on Matter, American online scientific journal, last January 25, what happened in the films of the series is now reality!
The researchers would have managed to create a small robot, made with Gallium in a liquid state, inside which micro-magnets made with Boron, Neodymium and steel have been inserted.
Whoever controls the robot can cause it to melt and solidify on command, allowing it, for example, to leave a cell.
A huge step forward for science, as the authors state, achieved thanks to the observation of nature, in particular of the very common "sea cucumber".
The capabilities of this new type of robot could be exploited in the biomedical field but the potential is still to be studied.
What is certain is that the creation of a robot with the characteristics indicated could also represent a danger to society. Imagining jobs in the criminal sphere, to carry out thefts or murders, or in the military field, for example for sabotage, is certainly not complex. Then combining this new technology with other existing ones will probably only be a matter of time, imagination and investment in research!
Welcome to the future!
To learn more:
- Magnetoactive liquid-solid phase transitional matter: Matter (cell.com)
- Real-life 'Terminator 2' robot can melt to escape jail, then solidify on command | live science
