Recently, scientists unveiled their development of a robot that resembles Terminator and is capable of self-healing.
This robot demonstrates that new inventions may be more powerful than previously anticipated, despite the fact that humans may have long believed they could defeat artificial intelligence.
According to The Daily Star, Illinois researchers have created a flexible, self-healing robot that recovers after being attacked or damaged.
Per the publication, the rubber-sensor automaton knits itself back together chemically after being sliced.
The scientist stabbed each of the machine's four legs individually as part of their trial. It supposedly repaired itself and started walking again after every stabbing.
Their research was published in Science Advances on December 7 under the title "Autonomous Self-Healing Optical Sensors for Damage Intelligent Soft-Bodied Systems." Hedan Bai, a PhD student, is the lead author.
A news statement mentioned that the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA Innovative and Advanced Concepts program, and National Science Foundation EFRI program all provided funding for the study.
Researchers installed SHeaLDS—self-healing light guides for dynamic sensing—in a soft robot resembling a four-legged starfish and equipped with feedback control. After the researchers punctured one of its legs, the robot was able to detect the damage and self-heal the cuts.
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Self-Healing Robot Heals Itself After Being Stabbed
New Scientist said the soft and malleable materials enable robots to modify their bodily shapes and mimic organic tissues like muscles for prosthetic purposes. However, because to their softness, they may be vulnerable to harm. At Northwestern University in Illinois, Hedan Bai and her colleagues created a straightforward soft robot that can recognize when it is injured and then repair itself before moving again.
The robot measures around 12 centimeters in length and has an X form. It moves by pushing compressed air through its body, which causes it to undulate and elevate each of its four legs. Self-healing sensors comprised of a transparent rubbery substance that detect the robot's motion are layered on top of the machine. The sensor can be repaired if it is sliced because when its exposed sides are exposed to chemicals, they react with one other.
Six stabs were used to evaluate the robot's "damage intelligence" by the researchers. After each cut, it halted for roughly a minute to let the sensor to heal before starting to move again. In a different experiment, they individually poked each of the robot's leg sensors. The robot adjusted its pace in reaction to the wounds after each stab, stopping to rest for a short while.
Robots would become more sustainable if self-healing parts were perfected, according to Bram Vanderborght of the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, as only parts that are damaged too severely to self-heal - such as if they are burned or covered in chemicals, for example - would need to be discarded.
In the future, self-healing sensors may be placed into wearable equipment like space suits where they could respond to being destroyed by space debris. Soft robots with self-healing components could then be utilized to do dangerous tasks.
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