In the Transformers movies, you know who I feel the worst for?
People who bought cars that turned out to be Transformers.
Can you imagine trying to get to work, just have your car turn into an alien robot and fly away?
Well, that's twenty-eight thousand dollars down the drain.
Optimus, the least you can do is call 'em an Uber.
[♪Film Theory Introduction Music♪]
Hello internet, welcome to Film Theory!
The show with a Ph.D. in movie minutiae
Now, I don't know about you guys, but every once in a while, I'm struck with a powerful realization that the future is here
NOW.
Granted, it might not be the future everyone predicted.
I'm still waiting for my Back to the Future hoverboard, holographic clothing, and self-drying jacket, after all.
But all of this makes me wonder what other things are just right around the corner.
Quite honestly, it's hard to rule out anything at this point.
Even the craziest things that we see in movies,
The amnesia machine from Men in Black-
if the C.I.A don't have it already, I bet they're working on something similar.
Willy Wonka's everlasting gobstopper,
YES PLEASE!
And what about the Transformers?
Self-aware robots that can, on their own, change their form based on the task at hand.
It's a HUGE ask.
Things like that could never be possible, right?
Well, I AM doing a video about it.
So...
Hmm...
Now, I hear what you're saying,
"MatPat, you've gone too far!
Robotics have made advances in recent history,
but the Transformers defy the laws of physics, you buttmunch."
Well, to that, I have one thing to say, hypothetical critic...
Words hurt.
Even words like "buttmunch".
Which nobody has used since they turned nine!
But also, I'm not saying that, in five years, Optimus Prime is gonna land on Earth and start ripping Decepticon heads off.
I'm saying that the technology we have today makes Transformers closer to fact than they are to fiction.
ESPECIALLY when you look at what these automotive behemoths are really made out of.
Which nicely segues to the question,
what are they actually made out of?
Well, it turns out the source material says a lot of different things.
The Transformers have no less than four separate origin stories.
Whether you're talking about the OG Marvel comics, the original tv show,
the UK version,
or the live-action movies,
this franchise is exhausting!
And don't even get me started on the Beast Wars!
Man, I love that show!
To me, Megatron will always be
a cute purple T-Rex
So if conflicting stories wasn't bad enough
then they all use words like:
"QUINTESSON"
"CUBE CREATIONISM"
So you know that this is a serious issue.
When it comes to what they're made out of, though,
all the origins agree that the Transformers are metal and basically mechanical.
So, instead of staying alive with food and water,
they need the right kind of fuel.
So, thanks a lot, Captain Obvious.
The machine monsters are made out of metal.
What about some specifics?
Well, we actually get the most information about the chemistry of the Transformers,
at the molecular level, from the movies.
Specifically, "Age of Extinction".
They even take the time to name the Transformers' material
"TRANSFORMIUM"
Yeah, SUPER creative job there, everybody.
Now, if only you'd spend as much time building your fictional world as you did researching the laws around
relationships with minors.
This is illegal,
she's a minor!
We're protected by the Romeo and Juliet laws.
We've got a preexisting juvenile foundation
statute two seven zero
five dash three
Romeo and Juliet, huh?
And on that note, yeah, yeah, I know.
It pains me to go the Michael Bay movies.
Michael Bay's Transformers are practically unwatchable and offensive,
taking a lot of liberties with the Transformers lore.
His vocal processors were damaged in battle.
But, the fact of the matter is that the movies give us the most concrete, scientific clues about what these guys are actually made out of.
So if we're going to take a look at the real-world technology behind these things,
well, this is gonna be the best route to take.
So this theory is gonna focus on transformium,
and, from there, we're going to see how close we are to making our own Optimus Prime.
And the fact of the matter is the technology is really cool,
so let's all agree to get along here in the name of science.
Okay?
Okay.
So, in Age of Extinction, humans have gotten pretty sick of alien robots destroying their cities when they fight each other.
So the U.S. government starts trying to make their own Transformers.
The scientists crack the code of how to work with transformium
and BOOM!
Man-made Transformer!
So how far am I from being able to make my own bodyguard slash camper van?
Well, let's take a look at what we know about Transformium.
ROLL OUT!
the tape.
A rare earth metal,
molecularly unstable,
industrial uses--none.
So according to Tobias Fünke's evil twin
we're looking at a metal that's unstable, rare, and isn't for industrial purposes.
We also know a few things from the Transformers themselves.
Transformium oughtta be pretty light-weight,
since some of the Transformers can fly,
which wouldn't happen if they were made out of, say, lead.
They also enter and exit Earth's atmosphere,
so this metal needs to have a high melting point.
Specifically, entering the atmosphere causes objects to reach 1,477 degrees Celsius, or 2691 degrees Fahrenheit
for all of us in the good 'ol
U.S. of A,
where our independence is dictated by how difficult our measurement system is.
So, the melting point of whatever we're using would have to be above that.
Is there a substance on Earth that can check off all these boxes?
Well, a quick perusal of all the usual suspects on the periodic table tells us no.
But then, what's this?
A group of elements called rare earth metals, since they are
--big shocker--
RARE.
Man, it looks like chemists are just as bad at naming things as the writers for Age of Extinction.
Maybe I should stop giving them such a hard time.
Search the property!
What do you mean, "search the property"? You don't have a warrant.
Nope. Totally justified.
Now, the best analog for transformium would actually be lightest of the bunch--
scandium.
Atomic number twenty one.
It's lightweight, with a density similar to aluminum,
so flying around like Starscream wouldn't be an issue.
And it has a melting point of 1,540 degrees Celsius,
well above our limit for objects entering the atmosphere.
This ensures that Optimus and the gang don't pull an Alex Mack and turn into a puddle of metallic goo each time they enter the planet's atmosphere.
We don't use scandium for industrial use because it's so rare,
just like we hear about in the movie,
and scandium even looks like the sample of transformium that we see in Age of Extinction.
On a chemical level, if we were to start making our own Transformers,
scandium would actually be a really good, really accurate candidate.
And, while that's all well and good,
it's far from the whole equation,
because the big challenge of transformium isn't the chemistry;
it's the physics.
The problem with creating Optimus Prime isn't creating something that looks like his truck form,
that's just a truck.
We want a substance that can mutate itself into practically anything,
and, as it turns out,
advances in robotics are making transformium look less like a pipe dream and more like an inevitability.
In fact, the building blocks are already here.
For example, we already have machines that can react to their environments as necessary.
These are called self configuring modular robots,
and they can change shapes, walk, and, in some cases, even fly.
Just take a look at the M-TRAN3:
an example of an self configuring modular robot
made of interlocking parts that can change its configuration and movement at will.
As you can see here, it's arranged itself into a long chain that moves by undulating like a caterpillar.
But, it can also form a lattice,
grow legs,
even walk away!
Sure, it's rudimentary,
but let's face it, it already looks a lot better than those walking domino blocks that we saw in Interstellar.
In both the real world and the Transformers universe,
the robot is changing its appearance to best suit the purpose it needs to fulfill.
Now, you might think this thing is slow, unimpressive,
and looks like a miniature plastic AT-AT from Empire Strikes Back than a Transformer,
but keep in mind that the M-TRAN3 debuted at a robotics expo in 2005.
In 2005, the Nintendo Wii, and the iPhone one were things of the future.
More recently, we've had M-BLOCKS,
small cubes that self-assemble without legs, wheels, or any external parts,
just cubes that can hop around and assemble on their own with nothing more than magnets.
Still, if we're looking for something like transformium,
we would need robots that are smaller, faster, and more versatile than these self configuring modular robots.
Transformium, as we see in the movie, is programmable;
it has a memory.
Programmable matter might seem way out of our collective human league,
but scientists are actually developing exactly that in a branch of nanotechnology known as claytronics.
Think of claytronics as a mix of robotics and computer science.
Claytronics uses a system of very small programmable computers known as claytronic atoms, or catoms,
working in conjunction with each other to create three-dimensional objects that the user can interact with.
So imagine you're Skyping or FaceTiming with someone a few years in the future.
Right now, all you're gonna get is a two-dimensional feed of the person you're talking to.
But claytronics would make it possible for your device to do a full body scan of the person you're talking to,
recreate them out of catoms,
and then put a three-dimensional version of the person right next to you in your very room.
And then, when the catoms are done being your friend,
they could potentially transform back into a couch or a table or television.
The possibilities truly are endless here
Y'know those cool nanobots from Big Hero 6?
Yeah.
It's kinda like that.
And here's the kicker--
even though it seems like this kind of technology should be decades,
if not centuries, away,
experts think we're pretty close right now.
An article from the Institute of Ethics & Emerging Technologies in 2014 cites that researchers
at Intel Labs are projecting basic claytronic products for commercial use by the year 2020.
And researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are making noteworthy progress.
They've produced electromagnetic catoms which are able to disassemble and reconfigure themselves in a span of
one tenth of a second.
So just give it a few more years and shape-shifting programmable matter just like transformium could be
in your very living room!
Or I guess, in this case,
in your garage.
But then this all begs one final question.
If we can make transformium,
then wouldn't actual Transformers be right behind?
In fact, all you loyal fans of Film Theory will remember our episode about Terminator's Skynet,
where we learn that artificial intelligence is projected to advance to the point that computers become self-aware
maybe as soon as 2045.
So if we create shape-shifting robot computers through claytronics by 2020,
and true A.I. by 2045,
it would only be a matter of time before they become our robotic overlords, right?
Well, there's still one fatal flaw in building robots that can transform and combine to become more than meets the eye
and it's not in the robots themselves or their A.I.
In fact, the biggest problem is also the most stupidest.
And yes, I know I did that grammatically incorrect for effect.
I know it's more stupider.
The issue, believe it or not, is this:
That's right, friends.
There's one big issue holding back the advent of Transformers in the real world and it's a problem that we've faced all our lives:
Batteries aren't included.
Yes, from the days of your battery-draining Super Scope Six
to your Transformers Megatron walkie talkie radio
to the line you say yourself every single day,
"I need to go charge my phone",
batteries are what are holding us back the most.
Even though our circuits are going microscale and our computers are getting more and more powerful,
we can't say the same about batteries.
In the past 60 years, we've seen a trillionfold increase in computing power--
that's no exaggeration,
a literal trillionfold increase in computing power--
but since 2007, phone battery life has only improved by 22%.
And the size of the thing is still relatively huge compared to the size of the phone.
The problem isn't creating Transformers,
it's powering them.
Entirely new power source systems just don't exist for these sorts of super-advanced robot-A.I. hybrids,
and it's standing between us and the Transformer revolution, my friend.
Well, at least until they become our overlords and start harvesting human electrical potential to fuel them like the Matrix.
I mean, what?
But hey,
that's just a theory.
A FILM THEORY!
And...cut!
Seriously though, we all know that the Matrix human battery thing is complete fiction,
so, no need to leave the note in the comments.
I know you will anyway, though.
You already have.
So if you're a fan of film theories like this one,
then you must like the Idea of bringing fictional worlds into real life.
Well if that's the case, then you should click right here to check out my series, Game Lab, over on the Game Theorists channel,
where we take the same idea but do it to video games.
And even if you don't like video games, I promise you're gonna get a kick out of this one.
Do you like fantasy movies?
Well then check out the episode where we siege a castle.
*war cries*
*war cries and flaming arrows*
For honor!
*clashing between two blades*
#NotSpon
How 'bout action movies?
Watch us defuse a bomb!
Opening the box now.
Like The Matrix?
Then you're gonna get a kick out of the hacker episode.
You gain access to a network,
and from there, you keep on branching out.
What?
Oh, no!
People doing dumb stuff with animals?
Well, watch me ride an ostrich.
You are fast!
And going in the completely wrong direction.
This is insane!
It's on YouTube Red,
but all the episodes are out right now,
so if you get a free trial, you can binge them all over the weekend and then,
y'know,
decide what you want to do with your subscription from that point forward.
I'm not gonna tell you what to do;
you could cancel.
You could be overwhelmed by the amount of quality YouTube Red programming, though,
and stick with that subscription.
I just really want you to watch my show.
That's...
that's really all I care about.
In fact, the Streamy Awards just nominated the series as the best non-fiction series on the internet,
which is a huge honor, and points to how much hard work went into it.
So if you checked it out,
honestly,
I'd really appreciate it.
Just click this ostrich head to hop on over.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
next week, we're going to the final frontier.
See ya then.