A group of researchers from the Beijing, China-based Tsinghua University developed a self-propelled liquid metal motor that could help create a robot like T-1000 -- the robot seen in the widely-acclaimed Hollywood movie "Terminator 2: Judgement Day."

According to the researchers' claims, self-propelled liquid metal can power itself as well as change shapes.

Jing Liu, one of the researchers involved in the project, "The soft machine looks rather intelligent and [can] deform itself according to the space it voyages in, just like [the] Terminator does from the science-fiction film. These unusual behaviors perfectly resemble the living organisms in nature."

To create the liquid metal motor, researchers used an alloy of gallium called galinstan. The galinstan contained 68.5 per cent gallium, 10 per cent tin and 21.5 per cent indium.

The gallium's melting point is 29.76 degrees Celsius (85.57 degrees Fahrenheit); while the alloy part has a melting point of 19 degrees Celsius, which allow it to melt within room temperature.

Researchers are confident that the alloy would help in developing many applications, such as letting the motor to move the liquid into any direction. The liquid can be moved to a cooling mechanism without any requirement of a peripheral source of power. Robots developed using the alloy could be deployed for monitoring the environment.