Scientists develop micro-robots that can flow like a fluid or collectively assemble into solid shapes

In a nutshell: Researchers have developed minuscule robots that can “assemble” and behave like a collective, building new shapes and tools. Inspired by nature, the team identified and developed the main features a robotic collective would need to achieve its programmed goal.

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) designed a “material-like” collective of programmable micro-robots, which can behave like a fluid or bond together to create new solid structures. The technology could lead to the development of a new sub-field of robotics.

The UCSB scientists set out to design simple robots that could work together, like a colony of ants or other collective groups. The study, recently published in Science, describes micro-robotic units that can switch from a “fluidizing” state to a more “solid” shape based on the rotational state of the robots.

The idea is ripped straight from science fiction concepts like the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The researchers claim they have turned this theoretical vision into reality after studying embryonic morphogenesis, the biological process through which cells can change their shapes and turn into different tissues in the human body.

Living embryonic tissues behave like the ultimate smart material, UCSB professor Otger Campàs told SciTechDaily. These cells can self-shape, self-heal, and even control their material strength. They can also temporarily soften, switching between solid and fluid states to develop the embryo’s final shape.

The UCSB researchers identified three biological processes they could program their robotic collective to mimic: interunit force, polarization, and adhesion. These three processes allow cells to move around together, coordinate their movement, and stick to each other while developing into a solid organic part.

The team developed the micro-robotic equivalents of these three biological processes using magnets and eight motorized gears mounted to each robot’s circular outer layer. For their experiment, the researchers developed a set of 20 relatively large micro-robotic units that could assemble into different shapes.

The team’s next step is to miniaturize the tiny bots further and increase the number of units within the collective. Powered by machine learning, thousands of micro-robots could theoretically allow researchers to assemble the collective into any desired shape with precise control.