Tiny droplets navigate mazes using 'chemical echolocation,' without sensors or computers

A recent study by a team of researchers led by TU Darmstadt has found that tiny amounts of liquid can navigate their way through unknown environments like living cells-without sensors, computers or external control. The tiny droplets can navigate autonomously, are able to detect obstacles from a distance and move reliably through complex mazes-without cameras or electronics. The reason for this is a mechanism that the research team refers to as "chemical echolocation."