Pu Zhang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has developed what he calls the first liquid metal lattice in the world, which is made from Field’s alloy, a mix of bismuth, indium and tin.
The alloy becomes liquid at the relatively low melting point of 62°C (144°F).
Zhang’s team built prototypes that regain their shapes after being heated to the melting point, including mesh antennas, honeycombs and soccer balls. But the most applicable to industry is a hand that slowly opens.
While most people instantly think about the movie Terminator, we at SHOP couldn’t help but wonder if this had applications at the industrial level—think pneumatic controls and you could see how this may one day find its way onto the shop floor.
Read more detail about the research at phys.org.
Watch the video below:
