Scientists Have Created A Shapeshifting Robot That Turns To Liquid And Then Reforms

The shapeshifting robot arm can break its body into smaller parts and move around obstacles.

By Trista Sobeck | Published

Shapeshifting robot

Today in “Nightmare Tales from 2023” scientists created a shapeshifting robot that can go from a solid state to a liquid state. This tells us that these scientists apparently skipped their childhood days watching “Terminator” and studied like the nerds they would grow up to be. Thank goodess, these brilliant folks are on the good side. Until ChatGPT meets it. Then, we’ll be looking at robot cops.

According to All That’s Interesting, scientists have taken inspiration from a sea cucumber to create a shapeshifting  robot that can move through rough terrain and squeeze into tight spaces. 

The sea cucumber’s body is made up of hundreds of tiny pieces that can rearrange themselves to pass through cracks in coral reefs. The team at the University of California, San Diego, has taken this idea and applied it to a shapeshifting robot arm. When faced with an obstacle, the robot arm can break its body into smaller parts and move around it.

The bot is made out of several connected segments, each one with an embedded motor. When it encounters an obstacle, the motors work together to rearrange the segments so that they fit into small spaces or wrap themselves around obstacles. It’s like a shapeshifting robot snake that can change its shape depending on the situation.

The team is still working to make the robot arm more efficient, but they’ve already shown that it can be used in a variety of applications. It could be ideal for search and rescue missions, where it needs to fit into tight spaces and maneuver around debris. It could also be used to get John Conner and make sure he doesn’t exist even though Arnold Scwarzenegger is protecting him.

Additionally, researchers are also looking at using it for industrial automation applications where it a shapeshifting robot needs to be able to work in small spaces and handle delicate objects.

The possibilities are endless with this new technology, and the team is excited to continue exploring ways to utilize their robot arm. 

They’re currently working on making the arm smaller and more precise, so it can reach even tighter spaces and handle more intricate tasks. With continued innovation, this robotic shapeshifting robot arm could make huge advances in the field of robotics and automation. 

By expanding the capabilities of their robot arm, the team hopes to open up a variety of exciting applications for robots in different industries. They’re also working on making the robot arm fully autonomous, which would allow it to complete tasks without requiring any human intervention. Will they one day be able to read our minds?

This could lead to shapeshifting robots being used in a range of applications that are currently too dangerous or complicated for humans to handle. In addition, they’re researching ways to make the robot arm as intelligent as possible, so it can interpret instructions accurately and make decisions on its own. With these advancements, the future is looking increasingly robotic.

The team has already achieved significant success in making their shapeshifting robot arm smarter and more agile than ever before. They’re confident that their innovative creation will continue to revolutionize the robotics industry for years to come.