South Korean researchers have developed special fibers that can change form when heated.

A research team at Seoul National University’s College of Engineering revealed on Monday that they developed the smart morphing materials by coating memory alloy with fibers using the methodology of knitting.

The thermally responsive fibers transform by applying an electric current or heat.

The team, which successfully transformed the fibers into flowers, said that using the fiber actuation technology, they could actuate soft robots without a motor and potentially mass-produce such robots in the future.

Their findings were published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials.