In an iconic scene in Terminator 2, the T-1000 is peppered with holes from shotgun blasts only to quickly heal himself much to the dismay of our heroes. Now, what once seemed like science fiction decades ago could soon be a reality.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have created a material that can spontaneously heal itself after extreme mechanical damage while maintaining an electrical current.
The material is made up of liquid metal droplets suspended in a soft rubber. Once damaged, the droplets rupture and form new connections with nearby droplets. The result is rerouted electrical signals without interruption.
Researchers put their discovery to the test by severing, puncturing and otherwise damaging the material all the while the electrical current continued to flow to the clock on the other end, without interruption.
Researchers say the new material could be used in a variety of applications from bio-inspired robots to human-machine interactions to wearable computing. It could also be used in power and data transmission.
