In the video, a “revolutionary” robot transforms “Mercury Man” into reality.

A group of scientists has invented a shape-shifting robot that can go from liquid to solid state and has magnetic capabilities. “Giving robots the ability to go from liquid to solid state gives them more functionality,” said Chengfeng Pan , an engineer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who led the study.

For her part, Carnegie Mellon University’s Carmel Majidi, a senior author on the project, said the idea was inspired by sea cucumbers, which can change their hardness very quickly.

Smithsonian magazine said traditional robots can’t always reach small spaces due to their solid bodies, so scientists set out to create a robot that transforms between solid and liquid matter.

The robot is made from gallium metal, which melts at just under 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists have also inserted magnetic particles into the metal, which will allow them to control how the robot moves or melts using magnets.

“The magnetic particles here have two roles, one is that they make the material respond to an alternating magnetic field, so you can heat the material and cause it to change, and the second is that it gives robots the ability to move in response to the magnetic field.” “Majidi said in a statement.

The study said the robot could be drooling to escape from confined spaces before the scientist restores it to its original form.

He added that the robot has also “jumped trenches, scaled walls and even broken in half, and could be very useful in the field of biomedicine.”

“More studies will be needed to investigate how this can actually be used for drug delivery or foreign body removal,” said Majidi.