If one were fatalistic, news like this would certainly be a sign of the “beginning of the end”, skynet is inevitable. Fortunately we are not, which is why we are only fascinated by the creation of a robot with characteristics similar to the T-1000 from Terminator 2.
The fearsome T-1000, for those who don’t remember, was the terminator which was made of liquid metal. This allowed him to change shape and escape through impossible spaces.
And now, in real life – unless we’re in the Matrix, of course – a group of scientists has been created a small robot that can melt incredibly, and so they escape through very small spaces, and solidify. “Hasta la vista, baby” is not worth it. In your face, Schwarzenegger
To create this rudimentary “real life” T-1000, an international team of scientists embedded microscopic pieces of magnetic neodymium, boron and iron in liquid galliuma metal that has a very low melting point.
Then, using magnets to command the robot A miniature figure that melted in a puddle, they guided it through the bars of a cage, before it solidified back into its original shape on the other side.
‘The magnetic particles here have two functions,’ said one of the project members, Carmel Majidi, a mechanical engineer at the Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
“One is that they make the material respond to an alternating magnetic field, so that it can, through induction, heating the material and causing the phase change. But magnetic particles also give robots mobility and the ability to move in response to the magnetic field.”
Interestingly, the team behind this project was not inspired by the blockbuster hit of the tumultuous 90s, by James Cameron, but in sea cucumbersmarine creatures that can change from hard to soft when the need arises.
In a series of tests, magnetically controlled miniature robots were able to do this jump over obstacles, climb walls and split in half to perform a variety of tasks, such as soldering circuits, administering drugs, and removing foreign bodies from a model stomach.
“Giving robots the ability to switch between liquid and solid states gives them greater functionality,” said Chengfeng Pan, an engineer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and principal investigator of the project.
Scientists believe that this shapeshifting technology may have medical and technological applications in the future. It remains only to hope that they do not rebel against the human being and try to exterminate us.
in the case of It wouldn’t hurt to investigate if there’s Sarah Connors around the world and keep them protected. But we are not fatalists, right?
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.