That means with a little ingenuity, these gels can be manipulated in a variety of ways using either permanent magnets or electromagnets, depending on the shape and strength of the fields. As you can see in the video below, that means you can make them do all kinds of quirky things. But as New Scientist notes, a magnetic material that's also soft and flexible could find an array of applications, like in artificial robot muscles or to replace machine parts that are usually rigid with softer alternatives.