This Venom-like magnetic slime robot was a big hit in 2022

A magnetic slime robotic that drew comparisons to the Marvel character Venom might navigate by means of slim passages and repair damaged circuits

By Alex Wilkins

A gooey, magnetic slime robotic that may squirm by means of slim passages, grasp objects and repair damaged circuits captured the imaginations of science fiction followers worldwide earlier this 12 months, drawing comparisons to the Marvel character Venom, and introduced its creators an unprecedented quantity of curiosity.

“I didn’t expect to receive so much attention from the media after the New Scientist report,” says Li Zhang on the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In the times after its publication, Zhang was contacted by journalists from internationally, in addition to by a number of intrigued buyers who puzzled concerning the potential monetary rewards of creating the robotic additional.

Zhang’s staff now intends to discover utilizing the robotic as a “third hand” for surgeons, the place it might help with duties like making use of strain and holding collectively tissue within the intestine.

One downside is that the magnetic slime can begin to dissolve in moist situations much like the human physique, so Zhang’s staff is investigating different substances that may last more and forestall hazardous magnetic supplies leaching out.