Scientists Create Real Terminator T-1000 Self-Healing Robotic Skin, Sort Of

Terminator 2 saw one of the most iconic movie villains of all time come to life; the T-1000. Able to morph into any form, it’s also capable of healing from injuries and physical trauma due to its liquid metal composition. While it may not reach that level of advancements, it seems some scientists were able to create robotic skin that comes close in terms of healing capabilities.

In a paper titled “An autonomously electrically self-healing liquid metal–elastomer composite for robust soft-matter robotics and electronics,” which was published in Nature magazine, the researchers revealed how they were able to create a robotic skin that’s capable of self-repair when damaged. The skin is made of elastic material and droplets of liquid metal.

“Here, we introduce a material architecture for soft and highly deformable circuit interconnects that are electromechanically stable under typical loading conditions, while exhibiting uncompromising resilience to mechanical damage,” the paper reads.

“The material is composed of liquid metal droplets suspended in a soft elastomer; when damaged, the droplets rupture to form new connections with neighbours and re-route electrical signals without interruption. Since self-healing occurs spontaneously, these materials do not require manual repair or external heat. We demonstrate this unprecedented electronic robustness in a self-repairing digital counter and self-healing soft robotic quadruped that continue to function after significant damage.”

As Futurism notes, calling the process self-repairing is not technically correct since that would involve getting the damaged pieces back together by stitching themselves and covering the damaged parts. Instead, the material simply expands to cover the damaged areas and create new circuits.

The goal is to basically create better technology that is capable of improving interactions between humans and machines in terms of the interface. It could even lead to a new kind of wearable technology that leads to new kinds of devices in the future.