Successful development of a robot that can heal itself.

The capabilities of humanoid robots are constantly evolving at a breakneck pace – they can now chase targets or even fire weapons..At the same time, scientists have also taken the potential of creating humanoid robots to a new level by creating a type of artificial "skin" capable of self-healing.

Robotics teams around the world are now researching flexible robots, as many situations require gentler touch than what rigid machines can provide.

The robotic arm immediately repaired itself after being stabbed with a knife.

For example, they can squeeze into tight spaces to perform search and rescue missions, or retrieve fragile objects without breaking or damaging them. Unfortunately, this also makes them more vulnerable, especially if they come into contact with sharp edges in their surroundings.

To solve this problem, researchers at Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium, have developed a method to create flexible machines that can self-heal – all you have to do is provide them with heat.

A scientist accidentally crashed into a robotic arm that was self-healing.

Researchers demonstrated this method by creating a gripping device – a robotic arm equipped with artificial muscles capable of self-healing. In the video, you can see the robotic arm healing itself after being stabbed. This is made possible by the material the research team used to build the robot: a jelly-like rubber polymer with many fibers that can reorganize and lock together when heated.

This self-healing characteristic could lead to the deployment of flexible robots in factories to handle fruits or other delicate items, as well as for search and rescue purposes. However, the research team's current design still requires a human to apply heat to the robot's wound.

Rubber polymer materials look like jelly-like pellets and can solidify when heated.

To truly create highly maintenance-free, flexible machines, the research team is now looking for ways to enable them to automatically activate self-healing mechanisms. Perhaps they will improve the polymer materials so that they can repair themselves without external intervention, or find a way for the robots to apply heat to damaged parts of their bodies.

According to Khoahoc.tv