Researchers succeeded in training a piece of plastic "to walk" using a new light control technique.
This is the first time that a rigid object has been taught this way without using computer programming, scientists said at the University of Tampere, Finland. In his report, published by the British newspaper The Independent, writer Anthony Cuthburton touched on the merits of this new study.
The writer stated that the advanced polymers are able to transfer at about one millimeter per second, that is, at the speed of the garden helix, using a heat-responding dye layer to convert energy into mechanical motion.
This study, published by "Mater" magazine, was inspired by the experience of Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov, through which he was able to train dogs to anticipate food from the sound of the bell. To get the piece of plastic to move, the research team used light instead of food to move it.
In addition to moving, the plastic piece can recognize different wavelengths of light and respond to them in different ways; this would have applications in the field of emerging soft robots.
"I think there are a lot of great aspects. These liquid crystal networks that are remotely controlled act like small joints muscles," said Ari Premage, lead author of the study.
The researcher expressed his hope that there will be many methods that will enable them in the future to benefit from the biomedical field, among other areas such as optics.