00:03It might look like a bendy straw or a child's toy, but this is what developers at Cornell
00:08University say is a self-healing robot, akin to the kind you might see in a movie like Terminator 2.
00:13This video shows one of the scientists cutting the soft, flesh-like robot into several pieces,
00:18immediately connecting them once again. Moments later, the robot appears to have
00:21rejoined and functions as normal once again. And it's something Project Head Professor Rob
00:25Shepard says could revolutionize the longevity of soft robots, explaining the thing is if you make
00:31a robot operate for a long time, they're going to accumulate damage. And so how can we allow them
00:35to repair or deal with that damage? And when robots are on their own, either deep under the sea or
00:40even
00:40further in the outer reaches of space, self-repair is going to be crucial. So how does it work? The
00:45outside of the device is coated in a layer of self-healing sensors that when cut become chemically
00:50reactive. Then when it touches itself, it will fuse and reconnect, allowing it to function once again,
00:55meaning it's entirely possible several of these bots could join forces and disconnect at will,
01:00allowing them to be self-reliant no matter what the task and no matter where they are in the universe.
