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Phase-Changing Material Created For Robots

Posted by samzenpus on from the bend-it-shape-it dept.

rtoz writes In the movie Terminator 2, the shape-shifting T-1000 robot morphs into a liquid state to squeeze through tight spaces or to repair itself when harmed. Now a phase-changing material built from wax and foam, and capable of switching between hard and soft states, could allow even low-cost robots to perform the same feat. The material developed by MIT researchers could be used to build deformable surgical robots. The robots could move through the body to reach a particular point without damaging any of the organs or vessels along the way. The Robots built from this material could also be used in search-and-rescue operations to squeeze through rubble looking for survivors.

4 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. um... by Charliemopps · · Score: 3, Insightful

    um... ok, so its silicone rubber coated in wax. Heat the wax and the silicone can flex because the wax is fluid. Let it cool and the wax hardens. That doesn't sound even remotely durable to me. How is this useful?

    1. Re:um... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't know why everybody has to be so skeptical nowadays.

      Years of practice, now it no longer takes effort.

      Oh, and a world which constantly reinforces that outlook as being a good choice. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re:um... by timrod · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One thing I can think of is running wires through tight spaces. Put a small, snake-like "robot" made of this stuff with a camera on one end on a wire and use it to guide the wire through a small hole in the wall or ceiling. Make it deformable to go around corners, and rigid to go up walls. If it's cheap enough, there's plenty of electricians and cable installers who would probably buy one.

  2. Re:Deploy or die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    News at 10: research is all about discovering/designing the next big thing. It sure would be nice if everything we tried panned out, but surprise surprise, when you're pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and innovation, not everything does.

    So sit back and write your cushy web-apps, secure in your 20-year old stale tech, while those of us who are willing to risk something and look for something new actually do something for real progress.

    "Skeptics of 'the next-big-thing' on slashdot is getting to be an old shit-trope that doesn't belong here. First of all, it's cool tech. Second, it's cool science. And yes, you get some icing on that cake--there is potential there. Is it a sure thing? No, and nobody with half a brain is claiming or expects it to be. If you only want sure things, read a history book.