A tiny shapeshifting robot could be the next big thing in biomedicine

Designed to behave like a living cell, this little bot could do marvellous things.
 By 
Teodosia Dobriyanova
 on 
A still image shows three blobs to illustrate the robot in motion after it passes through small bars.
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Developed by a team of scientists at Seoul National University and Gachon University in South Korea, PB, or the Particle-armored liquid roBot, is designed to behave the way cells do, and imitate biological forms and functions.

The morphing bot can ooze around tiny pillars, skim across water to reach a dry surface without bursting, merge with another PB, and swallow a glass bead, all without compromising structural integrity. The robot is still in the research stages, but the promising results so far raise hopes that PB could potentially help advance drug delivery and even tumor cell destruction in the future.

Topics Health Robotics

Picture of Teodosia
Teodosia Dobriyanova
Video Producer

Teodosia is a video producer at Mashable UK, focussing on stories about climate resilience, urban development, and social good.


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