Chinese scientists develop shape-shifting robot inspired by T-1000 from Terminator
- Palm-sized prototype is powered by liquid metal, which turns wheel as its centre of gravity changes when voltage is altered
- Researchers say soft robots could be used for search and rescue missions
Chinese scientists say they have developed a type of robot powered by liquid metal inspired by T-1000, the self-repairing, shape-shifting killer android from one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator films.
The palm-sized robot comprises a plastic wheel, a small lithium battery and drops of liquid metal. The robot’s wheel rolls when the liquid metal changes the centre of gravity, which is controlled by altering the voltage through the embedded battery.
“We were inspired by T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” said Li Xiangpeng, a robotics professor at Soochow University in Suzhou, China.
Li designed the liquid metal robot prototype along with Zhang Shiwu from the University of Science and Technology of China, and researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia.
Their research was published in scientific journal Advanced Materials last week.
“In the future, we expect to further develop soft robots incorporating liquid metal that could be used in special missions such as searching for and rescuing earthquake victims, since they can change shape to slide under doors or make it through spaces humans can’t get into,” said Tang Shiyang, a research fellow with the University of Wollongong, who was also involved in the study.
