Spy robot investigates the enemy and then melts into an oily puddle

A stealthy little spy robot, small enough to remain undetected, is capable of self-destructing into a pool of oily goo once its mission is completed. Such robots could be used to covertly gather data, vanishing before falling into the wrong hands.

The robot is a type of soft robot, which means it consists of materials that are more flexible than the hard ones typically used in conventional robotics. Soft robots have previously been proposed for jobs like delivering medicine to wild animals by mimicking …