Posted on 08/26/2026 7:06:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new photoresponsive hydrogel whose 3D shape can effectively expand, change, or even be rewritten into an entirely different configuration depending on where light strikes it.
In experiments reported in Nature Communications, the material expanded more than 80,000% within 40 seconds and could be repeatedly programmed into helices, twists, and hybrid structures.
Researchers also used its light-controlled motion to lift objects and drive a miniature rotary system, pointing toward possible applications in smart materials and soft robotics.
The ability to program the material after it has already been formed makes the breakthrough especially unusual.
Many shape-changing materials are manufactured with their future behavior already built into them. Different layers, directional fibers, compositional gradients, and pre-patterned structures determine how they will eventually bend, curl, or twist. Once fabricated, those instructions can be difficult, if not impossible, to change.
The new hydrogel begins as a structurally uniform material, with the asymmetry required for complex motion instead created temporarily by the pattern of incoming light. The key to making that possible is an unusually powerful swelling response.
The researchers incorporated a light-sensitive molecule known as spiropyran into a polymer network. When illuminated, the molecule experiences a chemical change that alters the electrical interactions between portions of the polymer. Attractions that normally help keep the network compact weaken or become repulsive, allowing the chains to spread apart and absorb large amounts of water.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedebrief.org ...
There’s a Rosie O’Donnell joke in here somewheres…
Didn’t Steve McQueen fight this thing a long time ago?
(sarcasm?)
So…a T-1000 Terminator?
Sounds like a lot of young wives in modern America.
Interesting stuff! It’s too bad the Chinese created it before us….
exactly why we need to be building more AI data centers as fast as possible, before NIMBY’s and liberals put American behind China for good
Does it come in a little blue pill?.................
I’ve heard that rosie can shape shift with nothing but a box of donuts
I liked this headline from the Babylon Bee yesterday.
New Data Center Built To Handle Influx Of Online Rants Against Data Centers
Meanwhile the left is promoting smoking marijuana to our kids and boys to putting on dresses to dumb down our schools.
BFLR
Not sure how this might refer to Rosie, but my point is this....Since this is coming out of China, ought we not to take it with just a grain of salt? Sounds very intriguing, but is it the whole truth & nothing but?
Just sort of an historically based query.
I'm thinking of Gloop and Gleep, the Formless Fearless Wonders from "The Herculoids."
Of course who else but the Chinese are running a lot of the Cannabis Farms to further encourage this and profit at the same time.
Sounds interesting. I wonder if it could be adapted for use creating artificial muscles for prosthetics.
Already in use in our UAPs.
Yes and meanwhile the kids in school in China are excelling and not smoking grass.
Cannabis is illegal in China, and while there are reports of rising cannabis use among youth, it is not legally permitted. The penalties for possession can include detention and fines.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.