Inspired by nature’s most adaptive systems, scientists have created a robotic material that moves and transforms like a living organism. These disk-shaped robots can switch between rigid and fluid states, creating a self-healing, shape-shifting system that challenges traditional engineering.
Inspired by embryos, these disk-shaped robots use magnets, motors, and light to shift between rigid and fluid states. The result? A self-healing, shape-shifting system that could change how we build and interact with materials.
Robots that act like matter
According to lead researcher Matthew Devlin, formerly of UCSB, the new robotic material mimics the behavior of traditional materials while retaining flexibility. Each unit resembles a small hockey puck and operates autonomously. These units can come together to form various shapes with different strengths.
“We’ve figured out a way for robots to behave more like a material,” said Devlin. The key innovation lies in allowing the robots to both hold a shape and reconfigure themselves — something previous systems struggled with.
Biological inspiration from embryos
The team drew inspiration from how living embryos develop and shape themselves. Otger Campàs, a former UCSB professor and now director at Dresden University of Technology, explained the biological basis: “Living embryonic tissues are the ultimate smart materials. They have the ability to self-shape, self-heal, and even control their material strength in space and time.”
Campàs’s previous research showed how cells in embryos can temporarily soften to allow shape changes — similar to molten glass. This process, known as rigidity transition, allows the embryo to form complex structures.
Engineering the transition: magnets and motors
To replicate these biological processes, the researchers used magnets and motorized gears. Each robot has magnets around its edges that let them stick to one another. This provides the stiffness needed for forming rigid structures.
Motors along the perimeter allow the robots to adjust their relative positions. By coordinating these forces, the system becomes flexible and reconfigurable. This dynamic behavior is central to transforming a locked structure into a fluid, shape-shifting one.
Light as a signaling system
In biology, cells know where to move based on internal signals. The robotic equivalent is a clever system using polarized light. Each robot has a light sensor that detects directionality from polarized filters.
“You can just tell them all at once under a constant light field which direction you want them to go, and they can all line up and do whatever they need to do,” Devlin said.
A smart, adaptive, self-healing material
With these elements in place — magnetic adhesion, motorized movement, and light-based direction — the robots can switch between being rigid and fluid. This allows them to carry weight, morph into different shapes, interact with objects, and even self-heal.
Though the current system consists of just 20 relatively large robots, simulations by Sangwoo Kim, now at EPFL, suggest scalability. Future iterations could include thousands of miniaturized robots working together to form adaptable objects.
Real-world impact and future vision
The implications go beyond robotics. This work could reshape how we think about materials altogether. From engineering to biology, the idea of programmable, responsive matter is closer than ever.
With machine learning added into the mix, these robotic collectives could become even more intelligent — adapting to environments, learning new shapes, and performing complex tasks. It’s a real step toward turning science fiction into everyday reality.
“To sculpt an embryo, cells in tissues can switch between fluid and solid states; a phenomenon known as rigidity transitions in physics,” said Campàs.
Source: “Material-like robotic collectives” by Devlin et al., Science, February 20, 2025. DOI: 10.1126/science.ads7942
