Scientists from the University of Hong Kong have created a slime-shaped robot that can be controlled by a magnetic field. The slime, or slime, can act in a very limited space and even grasp objects. According to New Scientist, it could operate inside a larger object, possibly a human body in the future.
Information about the creation of a robot made of magnetic sludge appeared in Australia on April 1, which some took as a joke. The invention, however, is the most authentic, and the authors of the study believe that the slide can be used, in particular, to retrieve accidentally swallowed objects.
The robot is able to move in an extremely limited space and reach speeds of up to 30 mm per second. The published article tells us that the innovative method is likely to make any treatments less invasive for the human body. It could also make it easier to administer certain medications. The slime can form any shape and aggregate when separated.
According to the creators, the robot can also be used to connect electrodes due to the fact that it is a good conductor of electricity. Social media users compare the slime to Flubber, the main character of the movie of the same name.
The slime contains magnetic particles, so it can be controlled with external magnets. “The goal is to make the robot work. “We are still trying to understand all its possibilities,” Prof. Li Zhang of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a co-author of this work, told The Guardian.
The robot is made from a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol, borax, and neodymium magnet particles. The team of scientists does not yet plan to test the robot in the medical community, but it makes no secret that it could be useful there as well. The magnetic particles present in the sludge are toxic in themselves and can pose a health hazard.
