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Phoenix666 writes:

Biochemical engineers at Johns Hopkins University used sequences of DNA molecules to cause water-based gels to change shape, demonstrating a new tactic to produce soft robots and "smart" medical devices that don't rely on cumbersome wires, batteries, or tethers.

[...] The team members reported that their process used specific DNA sequences called "hairpins" to cause a centimeter-sized hydrogel sample to swell to 100 times its original volume. The reaction was then halted by a different DNA sequence, dubbed a "terminator hairpin." This approach could make it possible to weave moving parts into soft materials, which, the researchers said, could someday play a role in creating smart materials, metamorphic devices, complex programmed actuators, and autonomous robots with potential marine and medical applications.

To control how shape-shifting occurs in different parts of the target hydrogel, the researchers took a cue from the computer industry. They employed a photo-patterning technique similar to the one used to make tiny but intricate microchips. Various biochemical patterns embedded in different regions of the gel were designed to respond to specific DNA instructions to cause bending, folding, or other responses.

I, for one, welcome our gelatinous robotic overlords!

Angelo Cangialosi et al. DNA sequence–directed shape change of photopatterned hydrogels via high-degree swelling, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3925

Original Submission