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A mini-robot lies on a cent piece in a laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.
© Marijan Murat/dpa

The bendable robot is characterized above all by its mobility: It can move effortlessly in its environment - whether on a surface or in a liquid. The scientists use an external magnetic field to control the robot. Magnetic particles are embedded in the polymer layer of the robot, similar to raisins in cake batter. This allows the researchers to change the shape of the robot from the outside and move it around

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