Magnetic slime 'robot' could help recover swallowed objects

Soft robots may soon be more flexible than ever... and a tad creepy. As The Guardian reports, researchers have developed a magnetic slime "robot" that can shift into different shapes to grab objects. It can encircle a group of pellets, for instance, and even stretch out in multiple directions to grab items on opposite sides. The result might induce some nightmares for the squeamish and is more than a little reminiscent of Spider-Man's symbiotic Venom, but it's surprisingly effective. The slime is made from the blend of polyvinyl alcohol (a polymer), borax and neodymium magnet particles.