Scientists from Soochow University in Taiwan have developed tiny, soft robots capable of splitting into smaller components to pass through narrow spaces and then reassembling once on the other side.

The robots are composed of a ferrofluid featuring magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles suspended in clear oil. According to the researchers, the robots are controlled using magnets.

Because the robots are held together very loosely, the devices can easily alter their shape. Likewise, the researchers demonstrated in the lab that by applying multiple magnetic fields to the material, it was possible to guide these robots through a maze and even change their course to overcome obstacles.

Additionally, the researchers showed that the robots could be elongated to squeeze through narrow passageways and break into several smaller pieces to pass through porous material, only to reassemble into a single round robot shape on the other side.

The researchers are eyeing the robots for future medical applications where they could potentially carry drugs to sites within the body.

The study detailing the robots, Scale-reconfigurable miniature ferrofluidic robots for negotiating sharply variable spaces, appears in the journal Science Advances.

For more information on the ferrofluidic robots, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Science Advances.