The new generation of modern robots continue to surprise us with their incredible abilities.
Brilliant minds arriving from all over the world have managed to teach machines to perform "human actions". From surgical tools to mechanical implementations, engineers have found ways to branch out and experiment.
An article recently published on Science Advances presented a particular case to the public. The robotics ideal presented has the potential to transform into the new generation of machines.
Let's see together what are the characteristics and distinctive elements of these innovative robots, what science has in store for the future.
Work on active matter
The proposal on a new type of material comes directly fromUniversity of Bath.
Experts plan to use the so-called "active material". This specific term is used to refer to a system capable of using energy to move and “change”.
Difficult to imagine right?
To give you an idea of the mechanism behind active matter, let's take a small example. Imagine a flat sheet made up of hundreds of tiny nano-robots. When certain situations arise, these next-generation robots could have the ability to join together to change shape, transforming the paper into a ball or anything else.
Robots working together
Compared to all the machines produced to date, the shapers could completely change the system.
Designed to work together, next-generation shape-shifting robots would be able to embody the adage “strength in numbers” with no margin for error. The solution takes inspiration from biological tissues, where cells collaborate to achieve the same goal, that of carrying out a specific function.
The idea that scientists are actually adapting this system to robotics is truly amazing. The possibilities that could open up for science are countless, as are the possible advantages.
What gives us food for thought most of all is the approach chosen for the construction of the shapeshifters. For the first time, in fact, science grants nature a fundamental role in the inspiration process. It is another tribute to biomimicry, increasingly covered by research.
Modern scientists have understood that everything starts from nature, which alone manages to solve seemingly impossible problems. Taking inspiration from living systems it is possible to create something absolutely innovative.
New generation, better future
In the relatively near future, scientists hope that next-generation robots will have total control over their shape, thanks to the use of active matter.
The idea is to create a new generation of machines, which has all the potential to revolutionize the methods of administration of drugs to the cells.
Dr. Anton Souslov, author of the article from which this discussion was born, left a comment on the matter:
This study is an important proof of concept and has many useful implications. For example, future technology could produce next-generation soft robots that are even better at picking up and manipulating delicate materials.
So far, the team has been developing theories and simulations that support their argument in favor of the material's feasibility. The next step is to certify and validate the first simulations.
Source of study: Science Advances - Active elastocapillarity in soft solids with negative surface tension
