SCIENTISTS are on the brink of creating robots that have the ability to heal after an inventor came up with a material that can regenerate.
The material is being heralded as the first synthetic ionic conductor, which allows ions to run through the material, which would allow it to heal itself it is cut or is partially detached.
Scientists from the University of California Riverside and the University of Colorado were inspired in-part by the X-Men superhero Wolverine when coming up with the idea.
The material is made up of a mixture of high ionic strength salt and stretchable polar polymer which allows it to be electrically conductive that molecules are able to flow through and reattach any tears or cuts.
It is highly stretchable, with it able to stretch 50 times its original length, and can completely heal itself at room temperature within 24 hours of it being torn.
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| Self healing metal |
Study co-author Chao Wang, from UC Riverside and has said that Marvel’s Wolverine was the inspiration behind it, said: “Creating a material with all these properties has been a puzzle for years.
“We did that and now are just beginning to explore the applications.”
Initially, the scientists behind the material hope that it can be used for long lasting lithium ion batteries that are used in the likes of electric cars, but during their study they created an artificial muscle made-up of two layers of the new, inexpensive, material and watched it heal itself after being intentionally damaged.
This opens its potential uses up massively, with futuristic robots being able to heal themselves in the same way that humans can.
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| The ability to self heal is amazing |
The study, published in Advanced Materials, reads: “Nature has perfected mechanisms of self-healing through evolution into a preeminent survival feature of biological systems.
“Similarly, man-made materials with self-healing capabilities are highly desirable for areas of application spanning from weather resistant surfaces to robust electronics.”
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