The latest stellarators have their magnetic-field-inducing coils sculpted into complex shapes, so as to ensure that forces are uniformly distributed.

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Researchers in the US are also working on a shape-shifting device that uses magnets to mimic molecules that fold themselves into complex shapes.

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For instance, while the vast majority of meteorites are stone, almost all sculpturals are made of an iron-nickel alloy, which takes on beautifully complex shapes as it falls to Earth through a process called ablation.

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Behind a tinted glass panel 18-carat gold powder, laid down by a robot arm, sparkles as a laser fuses the metal into complex three-dimensional shapes, layer by layer.

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Unlike their predecessors from the 1960s, modern computers can handle the complex calculations required to come up with the right shapes.

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The flags can take a wide range of shapes, as some are quite simple and others are quite complex.

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