A tiny shapeshifting robot could be the next big thing in biomedicine

Designed to behave like a living cell, this little bot could do marvellous things.
By
Teodosia Dobriyanova
 on 
A still image shows three blobs to illustrate the robot in motion after it passes through small bars.
Watch Next

Developed by a team of scientists at Seoul National University and Gachon University in South Korea, PB, or the Particle-armored liquid roBot, is designed to behave the way cells do, and imitate biological forms and functions.

The morphing bot can ooze around tiny pillars, skim across water to reach a dry surface without bursting, merge with another PB, and swallow a glass bead, all without compromising structural integrity. The robot is still in the research stages, but the promising results so far raise hopes that PB could potentially help advance drug delivery and even tumor cell destruction in the future.

Topics Health Robotics

Picture of Teodosia
Teodosia Dobriyanova
Video Producer

Teodosia is a video producer at Mashable UK, focussing on stories about climate resilience, urban development, and social good.


More from Future Blink
1X’s latest humanoid robot will do your chores in a sweater
Neo Gamma humanoid bringing tea to couple at a table


Alef's flying car is taking the fiction out of sci-fi
A photograph shows Alef Aeronautics' flying car hovering above a field

Humanoid robots are learning to move like real athletes
Two Unitree G1 humanoid robots learning how to move with ASAP

Tiny ant-like robots lift objects 350 times their weight
Microbots lifting and moving a small ball

Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert jokes about Trump using ChatGPT for tariff formula
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage. The caption at the bottom reads "Busted!".


'Superman' sneak peek sees David Corenswet's Man of Steel get beat up by his dog
Krypto and Superman in 'Superman.'


'M3GAN 2.0' trailer: Now there's two of them!
M3GAN in "M3GAN 2.0."

Tiny pacemaker developed by scientists can fit in a syringe
A collage shows the tiny pacemaker placed on a fingerprint next to a rice grain for scale; in the background, a more zoomed-in image shows the pacemaker next to a needle boar.

'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' teaser trailer sees Josh Hutcherson's work follow him home
An animatronic from Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

The 'Dimension 20' cast chooses their ultimate Intrepid Heroes squad
Dimension 20 Plays Choose Your Squad


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!