Metal Repairing Itself: A Step Towards Terminator Robots?

Scientists have observed metal repairing itself after cracking, a discovery that could lead to the development of self-healing structures and robots. The mechanism currently only works on a few metals and at small scales, but it could have applications in industries such as aerospace and automotive. The process, known as "cold welding," involves the compression and fusion of crack flanks at the nanoscale. However, further research is needed to determine if the process works outside of a vacuum, if other metals can self-repair, and if larger metals can be coaxed into healing.