In an effort to create robots capable of controlling their own life-cycles, researchers have developed squishy little devices that can melt themselves into a puddle of goo.

“We have mimicked death in a life cycle where the robot could end itself,” Seoul National University engineer Min-Ha Oh told Peter Grad at Tech Xplore.

This ‘death’ is triggered by internal ultraviolet LEDs that destabilize the chemical composition of the robot. This process takes about an hour though, so it’s likely we have a few decades before we’ll see robots being employed as the kinds of vanishing spies proposed by the researchers.

Concrete is responsible for 8 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

In construction, concrete emissions refer to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and use of concrete, one of the most widely used construction materials globally. Due to energy-intensive cement production processes and chemical reactions that take place during concrete curing, the concrete industry is a substantial source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, responsible for an estimated 8 percent of the world’s emissions.

Cement, which is a byproduct of heating limestone (calcium carbonate) and other minerals to high temperatures in a kiln, is the main component of concrete. In order to produce the… More.

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Jewett is on the hunt for materially efficient components that can be utilized to construct structures such as bridges and buildings. He does this through the use of computational power. During his work, he also takes into account additional restrictions, particularly making sure the manufacturing cost isn’t too expensive.

Before beginning his PhD studies, Jewett worked in the construction industry, he spent a year and a half as a structural engineer in New York City, which gave him a knack for producing work that can actually be put into practice. Jewett adds that the sooner he can complete his work, the better.

“The time horizon of when these things need to be implemented is relatively short if we want to make an impact before global temperatures have already risen too high. My PhD research will be developing a framework for how that could be done with concrete construction, but I’d like to keep thinking about other materials and construction methods even after this project is finished,” explained the student.