Upon hearing of liquid metal robots, moviegoers will probably recall the T-1000s in the movie “Terminator”. But a team of Chinese scientists is now trying to create such sci-fi robots whose shapes and forms can morph to suit their surroundings and needs. 

Scientists from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Medical School of Tsinghua University have been studying a liquid metal "eating" other substances before propelling itself like a self-fueled motor. 

Professor Liu Jing and his team succeeded in 2016 in causing their elastic liquid metal to move in rhythms and perform complicated moves in electric fields. 

"Future robots have to be more flexible... The metamorphosis still needs the combination of liquid metal and other materials. With the combination of nano chips, micro-sensors and receiver-corresponders, there is a possibility of morphing out a human-shaped robot, though it is extremely difficult," said Liu Jing.

(Video by CCTV)