Technology
Scientists have created tiny robots that may potentially collaborate as a group, altering their shape and even transitioning between solid and “fluid-like” states—a concept that might resonate with anyone still haunted by visions of the T-1000 cyborg assassin from “Terminator 2.”
A research team led by Matthew Devlin at UC Santa Barbara detailed this project in a recently published paper in Science, stating that the idea of “unified groups of robotic units capable of assembling into nearly any form with various physical characteristics… has long fascinated both science and fiction.”
otger Campàs, a researcher at the max Planck Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, informed Ars Technica that the team drew inspiration from embryonic tissues to attempt to create robots with similar functionalities. These robots are equipped with motorized gears enabling movement within the group, magnets allowing them to stay connected, and photodetectors enabling them to receive signals from a flashlight fitted with a polarization filter.
Campàs mentioned that reality is still “far from the Terminator scenario,” as size and energy limitations persist.The researchers’ robots measured just over 5 centimeters in diameter; though,they aim to reduce this size to 1 or 2 centimeters or even smaller.
