This shape-shifting hydrogel could revolutionize robotics, biomedical devices
What's the story
Chinese researchers have developed a "lifelike" shape-changing hydrogel. It could provide a platform for next-generation developments, such as flexible tissue engineering scaffolds, brain-computer interfaces and humanlike robots. The team created this innovative material, inspired by living organisms. The hydrogel, named STERS, employs liquid metal particles to initiate slow, self-sustaining chemical reactions that enable it to change shape over time.
Technological advancement
Hydrogel can grow and change with living tissues
The hydrogel can grow and change with living tissues, making it a potential game-changer in biomedical materials and devices.
"This novel approach enables programmable, lifelike morphological evolution in hydrogels," the research team wrote in their paper published in Matter.
The technology could have far-reaching implications for regenerative medicine and soft robotics.
Future
Many hurdles still remain
Many hurdles still remain for any long-term clinical application.
These include accurately matching the material's transformation timeline to the specific tissues and exploring even slower shape morphing.
Having on-demand control of the transformation procedure via external stimuli is also yet to be achieved.
As of now, the system can be used for laboratory demonstrations or as a sensor.