Army Building "Self-Aware" Squid-Like Robot That Can Be "3-D Printed" During Combat

The Army Research Laboratory's next robot weapon isn't a new predator drone or even a robot dog like the infamous prototype developed by Boston Labs. Instead, it's a "self-aware" robot built from flexible materials inspired by invertebrates like squid, the Army Times reports. But in addition to its advance machine-learning capabilities, the material used to build the robots is so lightweight and malleable that soldiers will be able to "print" the robots on the battlefield, the control them with controllers that send electric currents through the materials. In case you weren't already terrified of robots that can jump over walls, fly or crawl, Army researchers are developing your next nightmare – a flexible, soft robot inspired by squid and other invertebrates. And they want soldiers to be able to use 3D printers to make them on the battlefield.