Researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong have created a "soft robot" made of slime containing magnetic particles, which can be manipulated using external magnets. The magnetic particles are toxic, but have theoretically been made safe to enter the human body after being covered in a layer of silicone compound - although further safety testing will be needed in the future. The team in Hong Kong hope the slime will one day be used to collect objects which have been accidentally swallowed. You can read more about the team's research here. This video has no sound.

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.

A robot made of magnetic slime with a custard-like consistency can navigate narrow passages, grasp objects and fix broken circuits. It could be deployed inside the body to perform tasks such as retrieving objects swallowed by accident. Elastic robots capable of manipulating objects and fluid-based robots that can navigate tight spaces both already exist, but robots combining both properties are less common.