On-the-fly reconfigurable magnetic slime used as a robot

A team of researchers affiliated with a host of entities in China has created a type of magnetic slime that can be configured on the fly to perform a variety of robotic tasks. In their paper published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the group describes their slime, possible uses for it and the actions they have taken to make it less toxic. Over the past several years, scientists have developed a variety of soft robots meant for possible use in the human body as therapeutic devices. In this new effort, the researchers have added to that list a type of slime that might one day be used to retrieve material swallowed accidentally or to repair internal injuries. Most soft robots meant for use in the body are extremely small, allowing them to move within arteries or veins and into organs.