Robot That Bleeds to Heal Could Come Into Fruitionby Zak On March 27th, 2012
Scientists are always trying to push technology as much as they can and utilize it for good use. The latest invention, or to-be invention in this case would be a self-healing robot that would be unique in many aspects. A new form of plastic has been created by scientists which turns red and bleeds in order to help itself ‘heal’; this is made possible via a self-fixing material which essentially mimics the human skin.
The plastic could be implemented into a robot which, when bleeding, would heal itself; the plastic skin would ooze red blood when cut. Its healing mechanic, meanwhile, sees the building of tiny molecular bridges which responds to damage. However, before some get their hopes of an army of killing machines, the futuristic material would be initially used on the surfaces of aeroplane wings, which will effectively showcase the “blood” to give engineers an idea of damage that has been inflicted.
This could then be applied to structures around an aircraft in a general capacity; engineers can fix the damage or, in this case, ‘heal’ it via a burst of intense light. Similarly, vehicles with scratches could effectually be repaired in the same manner.
Furthermore, researchers state that the material could also influence other elements such as self-healing surfaces for technology products including mobile phones, laptops, in addition to cars. The plastic itself, when cut, turns from a clear surface into red outlining the line of the damage. The material reacts to ordinary light whilst it can also change via temperature or acidity.
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Professor Marek Urban said (via Gizmodo):
Mother Nature has endowed all kinds of biological systems with the ability to repair themselves. Some we can see, like the skin healing and new bark forming in cuts on a tree trunk. Some are invisible, but help keep us alive and healthy, like the self-repair system that DNA uses to fix genetic damage to genes. Our new plastic tries to mimic nature, issuing a red signal when damaged and then renewing itself when exposed to visible light, temperature or pH changes.
Professor Urban and his team are currently at a stage where the material is being tested via implementing it within plastics which can cope with high temperatures.