Watch: Magnetic slime robots that can fix broken circuits, help in surgery

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed a magnetic slime robot, hoping to use it in surgery. Although the slime was invented in April, a video of it encircling smaller objects, and squeezing in through narrow spaces has now gone viral.

According to a report in South China Morning Post, the slime contains magnetic particles and can thus be manipulated when external magnets are applied to it. Researchers predict that the magnetic slime robot can also be used in the human digestive system to retrieve accidentally-swallowed objects, the publication reported.

As per a report in Analytics Insight, the slime robot is prepared by using polyvinyl alcohol (a polymer), borax, and neodymium magnet particles. The combination of which is a non-Newtonian fluid that behaves like a liquid or solid depending on force and can be controlled using external magnets.

While it can move about effectively encouraging researchers to look into medical avenues in which it can be used, the magnetic particles are toxic. So, scientists are now working on developing a protective coating which may make the magnetic slime robot safe to use in human bodies during surgery.

Stating that for the time being the slime lacked autonomy, Professor Li Zhang, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who co-created the slime, told The Guardian, “The ultimate goal is to deploy it like a robot. We still consider it as fundamental research – trying to understand its material properties.”