Phase-field models of liquid metal dealloying (LMD) can resolve rich microstructural dynamics but become intractable for large domains or long time horizons. We present a conditionally parameterized, fully convolutional U-Net surrogate that generalizes far beyond its training window in both space and time. The design integrates convolutional self-attention and physics-aware padding, while parameter conditioning enables variable time-step skipping and adaptation to diverse alloy systems. Although trained only on short, small-scale simulations, the surrogate exploits the translational invariance of convolutions to extend predictions to much longer horizons than traditional solvers. It accurately reproduces key LMD physics, with relative errors typically under 5% within the training regime and below 10% when extrapolating to larger domains and later times. The method accelerates computations by up to 16,000 times, cutting weeks of simulation down to seconds, and marks an early step toward scalable, high-fidelity extrapolation of LMD phase-field models.

Scientists have built a shape-shifting robotic drone that transforms from a ground vehicle to a quadcopter, an advance that may lead to novel machines that can perform diverse functions under different conditions and self-heal after being damaged. The researchers from Virginia Tech in the US first developed a multifunctional material that could change shape, hold the shape, and return to the original configuration, and to do this over many cycles. "One of the challenges was to create a material that was soft enough to dramatically change shape, yet rigid enough to create adaptable machines that can perform different functions," Michael Bartlett, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, said in a statement. The scientists then turned to the Japanese art of kirigami, which involves making shapes out of paper by cutting, to create a structure that could be morphed. Then they developed an endoskeleton made of a low melting point alloy (LMPA) embedded inside a rubber skin.

Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. On Earth, hydrogen is normally a gas. But when it is under high temperatures and pressures--the conditions that exist within many planets, such as Jupiter--hydrogen goes through a series of phase transitions and takes on the properties of a liquid metal. One of the metallic properties it takes on is becoming an electrical conductor. In a new paper in the Nature journal's "Matters Arising," researchers at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), including lead author Valentin Karasiev, an LLE staff scientist; graduate student Josh Hinz; and Suxing Hu, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and a distinguished scientist at the LLE, respond to a 2020 Nature paper that used machine learning techniques to study the liquid-liquid phase transitions of dense hydrogen from an insulating liquid to a liquid metal.

The shape-shifting robots from Terminator 2 may be in for a reboot on the high seas. A liquid metal alloy less dense than water has been made by injecting the material with glass beads – and it could be used to make lightweight exoskeletons or transformable robots. Like mercury, which has the lowest melting point of pure metals at -38.8 C, liquid metal alloys don't solidify at room temperature.

This research spans academia, militaries (though it can be difficult to suss out the actual breakthroughs from government propaganda), and private enterprise. Perhaps the most well known privately-owned robotics developer is Boston Dynamics, makers of the Atlas. You may remember this bipedal robot from September when it showed off its uncanny parkour abilities, which the robot can pull off 80 percent of the time. The Atlas is able to move so fluidly thanks to a novel optimization algorithm that breaks down complex movements into smaller reference motions for its arms, torso, and legs. However, while Boston Dynamics' Big Dog was developed as a quadrupedal cargo carrier for military operations, the Atlas is strictly for use as an emergency first responder.

A new host of liquid metals that have applications towards soft robotics are making movies like'The Terminator' transcend make-believe. According to researchers, experimental liquid metals like gallium and other alloys, when supplemented with nickel or iron, are able to flex and mold into shapes with the use of magnets, much like the iconic movie villain, T-1000 from'The Terminator 2: Judgement Day.' While other such metals have been developed, they contended with two major drawbacks. A new host of liquid metals that have applications towards soft robotics are making movies like'The Terminator' transcend make-believe toward real life. Researchers say experimental liquid metals like gallium and other alloys, when supplemented with nickel or iron, are able to flex and mold into shapes with the use of magnets. A new material revealed by the American Chemical Society solves to major problems experienced by similar substances.

It's been 25 years since "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" gave us nightmares about Skynet and liquid-metal assassin robots, and we're still freaking out about artificial intelligence breaking bad. Now Australian researchers are helping to resurrect fears of the movie's spooky T-1000 killing machine by developing self-propelled liquid metals reminiscent of the ones that made up its body. Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne plan to create elastic electronic components and soft-circuit systems that act more like live cells. For the most part, our modern electronics use fixed metallic tracks to create circuits that are stuck in a single configuration. This is why you can't simply ask Siri to split and rearrange your iPhone into four smaller iPods to share your music with friends.

The self-assembling shape shifting killer robots from the Terminator films could be a step closer, thanks to the development of self-propelling liquid metals. A team of Australian researchers is laying the groundwork for T-1000s by creating the basis of soft electric circuits. Unlike modern circuitry found in electronic devices, which remain based on circuits with solid state components, future connections could be much more flexible and able to move and reconfigure as necessary. A team at RMIT University in Melbourne used non-toxic alloys of the metal gallium, which is liquid at close to room temperature. By adding droplets of the alloy galinstan to water and changing the pH, they were able to make the drops move about freely.