What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word transformer? Bumble Bee? Maybe not bumble bee, but we do associate that word mainly to the movie series Transformers. There are plenty of other things in the world that can transform, and they are certainly not robots.
A team of scientists at MIT has developed a kind of structure that inflates itself using carbon dioxide produced by a chemical reaction that is triggered on demand.
Inflatables have a variety of applications in many fields from medicine and space travel to simple flat-pack furniture. The self-inflating development by the researchers eliminates the need for an air pump. Otherwise, air pump becomes a massive restriction when you want to inflate an object on the go.
Watch the magic of the self-inflating structures unroll.
