Liquidmetal Injection Molding (Photo : www.liquidmetal.com)
A group of researchers has recently developed a liquid metal, self-propelled motor that has the ability to give rise to a T-1000 robot- the human-form machine that the "Terminator 2" movie has featured. The world's first liquid metal robot was manufactured from the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Its unique features include its innate ability to change shapes and power itself.
Jing Lui of the Tsinghua University, said "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," the New Scientist reported.
The metal motor creators used galinstan, a gallium alloy. They preferred gallium because it has a melting point of 29.76 degrees Celsius. Galinstan, according to SMN, is created through using 21.5% indium, 10% tin, and 68.5% gallium. The alloy's melting point is 19 degrees, which means that galinstan could achieve its liquid form at room temperature.
The scientists were able to discover that the liquid metal is capable of moving in its own approximately 30 minutes after a metal alloy drop if mixed with sodium hydroxide and left in connection with aluminum flakes. The flakes are the alloy's fuel.
Liu further explained that the alloy can be utilized to come up with a robot that could be deployed for environmental monitoring. The gallium alloy could form complex shapes with the aid of electricity.
The team is confident that this could help numerous applications in a wide array of fields.
