Apr 30 2009Scientists Create Chemical Gel That Moves On It's Own, Will Power Our Future Overlords
Some foolish Japanese scientists have developed a chemical compound capable of moving on it's own. They're convinced it's the stuff future robots will be made of. I'm convinced I just let one loose in my pants.
A group of Japanese roboticists, led by Shingo Maeda at the Shuji Hashimoto applied physics laboratory at Waseda University, have created a chemical gel capable of independent motion, similar to that of a caterpillar.
Using a process that combines polymers, the material not only moves on its own, but also can change colors and can be used to perform calculations. According to the scientists involved in the project the morphable material could even one day be used as components of a future robot, thus making the notion of the incredibly scary Terminator T-1000 a real possibility.
That's....terrible news. WTF, ROBOTICISTS? Roboticists shouldn't even be a real thing. If I close my eyes and say, "roboticists don't exist" three times they should all disappear, right? Okay, *covering eyes* "roboticists don't exist, roboticists don't exist, roboticists don't exist". There *uncovering eyes* HOLY SHIT -- BLOODY MARY, AAAAAAAAHHH!
Hit the jump for a video of a miniature T-1000 in action.
Chemical 'caterpillar' points to electronics-free robots [newscientist]
via
Japanese lab creates self-propelling chemical material for future Terminators [dvice]
Thanks to Josh, who knows we're all as good as gone. Well played, robots.
Reader Comments
1. Demno - April 30, 2009 2:53 PM
FIRST!!!!!!
2. oromis - April 30, 2009 2:54 PM
Second!!!!!!!!!
3. STOMPY - April 30, 2009 2:56 PM
I need your keys, you clothes and your motorcycle...
4. haha poop - April 30, 2009 2:56 PM
turd. LOL
5. Timbo - April 30, 2009 3:00 PM
Video is currently unavailable....
6. pxs - April 30, 2009 3:01 PM
holy shit.
7. catch22 - April 30, 2009 3:02 PM
neat!
unrelated note: "Lucas Simon" was born at 6:30 am
thanks for voting
8. dubba - April 30, 2009 3:03 PM
the abyss!!!!!
9. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - April 30, 2009 3:04 PM
@7
Awesome. Welcome to hell.
Oh no! Not robots! Oh what will we ever do? Pussies. Grab a crow bar and some beers. It's robozombie hunting time!
10. kev - April 30, 2009 3:06 PM
TOP TEN WANGERANGS!!!
11. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - April 30, 2009 3:14 PM
@11
O RLY?
12. Mr. Man - April 30, 2009 3:15 PM
@9 Good Plan!!
13. G-man - April 30, 2009 3:15 PM
me needs video it is not available
14. Kev - April 30, 2009 3:16 PM
Somebodies gonna stick one of these things up their butt and then its all down hill from there!
15. Pew³ - April 30, 2009 3:23 PM
Q. Why did the walking gel cross the road?
A. It was the begining of the destruction of humanity on the other side.
16. Richard Inbutt - April 30, 2009 3:35 PM
they should make flubber out of this
17. QUASIMODEM - April 30, 2009 3:37 PM
"its".
Moves on "its" own.
18. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - April 30, 2009 3:41 PM
What happened to LSD? We need more snarky jokes!
19. STOMPY - April 30, 2009 3:42 PM
wuts a snarky joke?
20. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - April 30, 2009 3:43 PM
@ 7 - CONGRATS MAN!!!! BTW - awesome choice on the name!
21. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - April 30, 2009 3:45 PM
@19
Take your Herman Melville and shove it up your ass.
22. STOMPY - April 30, 2009 3:45 PM
great, i had to look up snarky in a dictionary.... so much for my engineering degree...
23. TetterkeT - April 30, 2009 3:49 PM
I want to talk about Sarah Connor Chronicles for a second. Since when did T-1000's develop penchants for golden showers? Where did the guys urine go when she took the form of the urinal just before killing him? I need these answers!
24. Tony M - April 30, 2009 3:53 PM
This is nothing new. The first one was created in the 70's, code named: Slinky.
25. STOMPY - April 30, 2009 3:55 PM
@21
I'm tellin ya, great story....it was inspired by Never Back Down
@23
T1000 can now take the form of urinals.... were screwed
26. jimmy - April 30, 2009 3:56 PM
OH SHI-
27. Daisy - April 30, 2009 3:56 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie Never Back Down where Max was on vacation with Baja. Max ran into a group of bikers who wanted trouble and he took off. One of the bikers tried to wrap a chain onto the car to get dragged along, but max hit the gas and pulled the hand clean off.
28. CoinOperatedBoi - April 30, 2009 3:58 PM
I'm all for things like this *imagines the things they could do to me* Hehe...T1000SexBot ftw!
29. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - April 30, 2009 4:01 PM
@28
I think I'm going to have to agree with the boi on this one. Can i get one that looks like Anastasia Blue?
30. jim duggan - April 30, 2009 4:08 PM
You haven't seen anything until you've seen Macho Man Randy Savage Smoke a Bong Rip of Salvia... AND FREAK THE #$%@ OUT:
http://www.digitalfuntown.com/videos/166
31. Me - April 30, 2009 4:10 PM
I'm thinking Ren & Stimpy.... why?? not Stimpy's fart... there was somthing gross that moved by itself.... *thinking* help me out, anyone?
32. Ren - April 30, 2009 4:21 PM
The old guy who was falling apart all the time?
33. Uncle Eccoli - April 30, 2009 4:55 PM
@3
Isn't it "boots?" "I need your boots, your clothes, and your motorcycle?"
34. livingjetlag - April 30, 2009 5:16 PM
Wow, that stuff makes pretty lousy progress on thousanths-of-a-millimeter scale. More zombie speed than robot speed, really. Now, if it was made into HAIR gel that moved on its own that would be cool, especially if they kept that traffic-cone-orange color. Or they could make it into a dessert...
35. SlowMonkey - April 30, 2009 5:58 PM
So they are going to come up out of the toilet and we get transformed? Jesus, I was paranoid about using the toilet in Mississippi what with all the rat and alligator stories but this is way worse. * uses bathroom in a semi-squat holding mirror*
36. Gordon Freeman - April 30, 2009 6:07 PM
psha, ill just get my transformers on their asses
37. BrianBearPig - April 30, 2009 6:26 PM
So it begins.
38. Watch-303 - April 30, 2009 7:17 PM
SWEET! NANOTECH!!!
39. Somebody - April 30, 2009 8:46 PM
We need to do another Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Japan to stop their designs for human enslavement via Terminator technology...all in favor say "I'll be back."
will the real John Conner please stand up?
40. Tom - April 30, 2009 9:12 PM
@24 LMFAO! I actually laughed in real life at this comment!
41. lala - April 30, 2009 10:03 PM
the end of humanity as we know it.
42. Wolfy - April 30, 2009 10:09 PM
WITCHCRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
43. willo - April 30, 2009 11:28 PM
did that look absolutely microscopic to anyone else? even radioscopic? nanoscopic? my peniscopic? TINY I SAY.
Trying to upscale that little slinky to even the size of a fingernail will take some serious time, as the energy it needs will have to increase exponentially, so we should be fine for another, oh, 8 years.
But then yes, death.
44. Gees - April 30, 2009 11:46 PM
Who cares about this gel, did you know that if you leave two particles 1cm apart that will vibrate towards each other and connect in 10 years...No..... well know you know!
Too funny to let it go: Impregnate Fail
http://www.epiclosers.com/load/8-1-0-291
45. Amaranth - May 1, 2009 3:41 AM
@3 you got it wrong, "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle."
46. Barry - May 1, 2009 10:03 AM
You can't EMP chemical goo. Think about it. This makes the coming mechapocalypse unstoppable!
47. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - May 1, 2009 11:58 AM
46 - So we'll take another hint from terminator, and use liquid Nitrogen.
48. thekidinthecorner. - May 2, 2009 9:57 PM
dude TvT!!!
Transformers versus Terminator!!!
Awesome Movie!!!
um just a question...
why isnt movie spelled with a y?
THERE IS NO S!!!!!!!
49. thekidinthecorner. - May 2, 2009 9:58 PM
dude TvT!!!
Transformers versus Terminator!!!
Awesome Movie!!!
um just a question...
why isnt movie spelled with a y?
THERE IS NO S!!!!!!!
50. DrHalocaust - May 4, 2009 2:23 PM
well, that's it.
it was nice.
so much for life.
the robots are coming, probably now as we speak.
does anyone else hear that?
*gulp*
51. k1nn34r - May 5, 2009 12:25 PM
As a research chemist i am very intregued by this and the video. Now people shouldnt be nervous about this, it appears to be just a reversible chemical reaction which takes longer to relax than to react. The top half of the species is out of sync with the bottom therefore appearing to move with a velocity. If you also look at the video you will see that the part that touches the surface on the left has a greater surface area than the part that touches on the right. What that means is that the friction on the left is greater than the right so doesnt just contract and relax on the spot.
A great little design and experiment to scare...
+10 kudos
@27 its on the micrometer scale. Firstly shadows barely exist because light itself is between 400 & 700nm so it is probs being looked at through an electron microscope leading me onto the next comment.
@34 electron microscopes show no real colour so it is not tracffic cone orange that is just what the computer make the colour look like either that or it has a load of fluoresant molecules bonded to the outside
+10 Kudos lol
52. Silver Surfer - July 2, 2009 11:24 PM
HEY GET THAT PICTURE OF ME OUT OF THIS SITE!!
53. Kobe Bryant Shoes - October 17, 2009 11:34 AM
dude TvT!!!
Transformers versus Terminator!!!
Awesome Movie!!!
54. UGG Bailey Button - October 17, 2009 11:38 AM
So it begins.
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58. laptop battery - November 5, 2009 10:20 PM
According to the scientists involved in the project the morphable material could even one day be used as components of a future robot, thus making the notion of the incredibly scary Terminator T-1000 a real possibility.