SELF-DESTRUCTING robots have been created by researchers that are capable of turning themselves into a pile of goo.
The researchers created the robots with the intent of being able to dismantle themselves in a time of need but still perform a job when required.
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“We have mimicked death in a life cycle where the robot could end itself,” Seoul National University engineer Min-Ha Oh told Peter Grad at Tech Xplore.
The research was published in Science Advances on August 25.
The robot is only 1.2 inches long and capable of turning itself into goo with internal ultraviolet LEDs that destabilize its chemical composition.
It is made of diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate mixed into a silicone resin which allows the body to be hard enough to function but soft enough to melt.
“It completely disintegrated, leaving behind an oily liquid residue of decomposed silicone composite and thin film electronics,” the study said.
The researchers sent the robot on a reconnaissance mission where it was tasked with traveling to a destination, taking its temperature, and then retreating to another location to self-destruct.
The robot successfully completed the mission.
The dismantling can come in handy if the robot has completed its mission, is discovered by enemies, etc.
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“We fabricated a highly deformable and fully degradable gaiting robot and demonstrated it in a hypothetical scouting scenario,” Oh told Tech Xplore.
“Under certain scenarios wherein disintegration is desired, including mission completion, discovery by enemies, or disposal requiring volume reduction, the robot can be exposed to UV light and disintegrate into an unrecoverable form.”
The softness of the robot also allows it to do more delicate tasks than bulky robots.
“Unlike conventional robots with limited degrees of freedom, soft robots demonstrate advanced functional adaptability and enable convoluted movements,” the team said.
“Such as delicate handling of vulnerable objects or adapting to uncertain environments.”
The creation is still in its first stages as it takes about an hour for the robot to completely melt itself and currently leaves a toxic substance behind that they are working on balancing.
