World’s First Liquid Metal Motor | A Soft, Flexible Motor With No Traditional Parts

Описание: What If A Motor Could Spin Without Gears, Magnets, Or Rigid Parts?

Researchers have just made that real using liquid metal.

Scientists at UNSW have developed a world-first liquid metal droplet motor that generates rotation not through traditional mechanical components, but through swirling flows inside a tiny droplet of liquid metal exposed to an electric field.

This groundbreaking device, known as a liquid metal droplet rotary paddle motor, works in an entirely new way. Instead of coils or solid shafts, internal fluid motion inside the metal droplet pushes a small copper paddle, creating smooth rotational movement. The result is a compact, flexible motor capable of reaching 320 revolutions per minute, setting a new benchmark for liquid metal actuators.

Why does this matter?
Motors power almost everything around us from smartphones and laptops to drones and medical devices. A new way to create rotational motion could reshape how machines are designed, especially in fields where rigid components simply don’t work.

This innovation is especially promising for soft robotics, flexible electronics, microfluidic systems, and biomedical implants, where machines need to bend, stretch, and operate safely in delicate or confined environments. Imagine tiny robots navigating inside the human body, powered by motors that are soft instead of hard and fragile.

The beauty of this motor lies in its simplicity. Much like a miniature waterwheel, the flowing liquid metal drives motion naturally opening the door to an entirely new class of soft, adaptable machines that were previously impossible to build.

📌 Research Credit:

Paper: A liquid metal droplet rotary paddle motor
Authors: Richard Fuchs et al.
Journal: npj Flexible Electronics (2026)
DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00528-6


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