Grippers made from dead spiders.
For some, this might sound like a horror movie.
For others, it’s a fascinating mashup of robotics and the natural world.
This isn’t a Frankenstein’s monster sort of situation.
It’s one thing to read about this project and another to see it in action.
When alive, spiders use blood to extend and contract their legs through a hydraulic process.
The necrobots are able to grip and hold more than their own weight.
The team sees some advantages to necrobotic spiders.
The little grippers can grab irregular objects, blend into their environment and also biodegrade over time.
The researchers hope to try this method out with smaller spiders.
They also plan to work out how to trigger the legs individually.
As this work advances, I’m looking forward to a new throw in of Transformers.
Necrobots, reach out!
