Researchers create a swimming robot that can 'heal' itself

As the world contemplates ways to deploy robots to help with hazardous tasks such as large-scale cleanups or search and rescue missions, scientists are also second-guessing how to fix machines if they come into harm's way. We've previously seen jelly-like polymers used to create robotic hands that can repair themselves after a violent infliction. And, "biological" androids made from stem cells that can regenerate and stitch back together when sliced. The latest breakthrough involves tiny microbots that can magnetically "heal" themselves on the fly after breaking apart, without help from humans. Researchers at UC San Diego did this by creating 2 cm long swimming robots shaped like fish and composed of three layers.