--- title: "Scientists Want to Build Robots out of Floating Liquid Metal" description: "A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in China have created a liquid metal material to build robots that is so light, it can float on water." date: "2020-03-05" modified: "2020-03-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-build-robots-floating-liquid-metal" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "alloy" - "liquid metal" - "shape shifting robot" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Want to Build Robots out of Floating Liquid Metal ![A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in China have created a liquid metal material to build robots that is so light, it can float on water.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Hasta La Vista A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in China have created a liquid metal material that is so light, it can float on water. The researchers are hoping the extremely light material could be used to construct lightweight exoskeletons and shape-shifting "[Terminator 2]()"-style robots, [*New Scientist* reports](). ## Glass Beads The researchers created a mixture of the soft metals gallium and indium, which had a melting point of just 15.7 Celsius (60.3 Fahrenheit). To make it float, the team gently stirred microscopic beads of glass, filled with air, into the liquid. In the process, oxygen combined with the liquid metal, helping the tiny beads stay suspended, according to Tsinghua University's Jing Liu, lead author of [a paper]() about the project published in the journal *Advanced Functional Materials* last month. ## Shape-Shifting Despite its extremely low density, the liquid metal material "still maintains excellent conformability, electric conductivity, and stiffness variety under temperature regulation" according to the paper. The material is hardy enough to be reused "eight times without evident loss in function" by folding it like origami or forcing it into a shape. The researchers are hoping their futuristic material could be used "for making diverse advanced soft robotics and underwater devices in the near future," the paper reads. **READ MORE:** [Liquid metal that floats on water could make transformable robots]() \[*New Scientist*\] **More on liquid metal:** *[Terminator 2’s Terrifying Villain Inspired a New Liquid Metal Robot]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()