Watch In Fear As Shape-Shifting Liquid Metal Propels Itself – Though Simple, Could Accelerate Development Of Terminators [Video]

Scientists have managed to create shape-shifting liquid metal that can propel itself.

Well-intentioned scientists in China have invented a liquid metal-based product that can dynamically shape-shift and continually propel itself around a course, all by itself. The terrifying idea of a metal that can change shape as it sees fit was made possible by using gallium – a metal that melts down to liquid form at just below 30 degrees Celsius.

The world’s “first self-fuelled liquid metal motor” can get about an hour’s worth of movement out of a single flake of aluminum acting as a catalyst of sorts. The concept works when the liquid metal is placed in a sodium hydroxide solution. Interestingly, given the situation, a less fancy version even works on plain old brine (sea salt solution) – and is ‘fed’ an aluminum flake.

The flake immediately merges with the metal and the reaction caused by the merge produces tiny bubbles – the phenomenon commonly referred to as effervescence. This bubbling creates a flow field that pushes the metal along the twists and turns of a specially made track. The liquid metal, driven by the bubbling, can navigate the twists and turns as well, owing to the aluminum flake. The flake allows the metal to condense and morph into different shapes to fit through the narrow corners and tight openings of the track.

Scientists even managed to morph the liquid metal by running an electrical current through the liquid metal. Currently, the scientists can’t control what shape the liquid metal takes when an electrical current is present, but may one day instruct the metal accordingly, said Jing Liu from Tsinghua University in Beijing, who is one of the team members,

“The soft machine looks rather intelligent and [can] deform itself according to the space it voyages in, just like [the] Terminator does from the science-fiction film. These unusual behaviors perfectly resemble the living organisms in nature.”

Scientists hope that the liquid metal robot could be deployed as tiny motors to accelerate delivery of medicine in the human body or in any other location in a machine. Since the liquid metal works as a propeller of liquids without any electrical wires, a miniature pump is one of the first real-life applications.

Robotics have so far evolved so well they can balance themselves and even follow a soldier with no additional driving instructions. However, till now, they sported rather rigid frames.

[Image Credit | The Mary Sue]