T-1000 is getting closer – a swarm of microbots has been taught to be solid or fluid on command

Scientists from the USA have created microrobots that imitate a material with variable properties – it can be hard, flexible and even flowing like water. The idea was inspired by nature, using embryonic cells as an example. A living organism with various organs, differing in both hardness and purpose, emerges from a cluster of similar cells. A swarm of robots with such properties can transform life and make science fiction a reality.

An artist’s rendering of the microrobots transitioning from a “liquid” state to a solid state. Image credit: UCSB

Researchers of embryonic cells have identified three key moments that determine their transformation into a mature organism. First, this is the active influence and even pressure of neighboring cells on each other during the evolution of the organism. Second, biochemical signals between neighboring cells that coordinate their actions as a single whole. Third, the ability of cells to connect or stick together, creating a single organism.

Based on these principles, scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) developed microrobots. They were made in a quantity of 20 pieces in the form of small washers. Along the outer perimeter of each robot, eight motors with gears were placed for adhesion upon contact and for movement in a group. The robots were also equipped with magnets for soft adhesion. Finally, they all had polarizing filters and light sensors for receiving commands.

Image source: Science 2025

The researchers showed that robots can, on command, form a stable group that cannot be simply destroyed by external influence. However, on another command, the same group literally becomes fluid, allowing an object to pass through it. The light control system allows the robots to collectively move objects, change the configuration of the group and regulate its hardness depending on the tasks at hand.

Scientists are confident that if thousands of such mechanisms are created and made small enough, the T-1000 terminator from the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day will be able to leave the screen and turn from fiction into a real robot consisting of thousands of tiny bots. They will be able to change their structure within the widest range on command or under the influence of circumstances.