Scientists turned dead spiders into robotic grabbers

Engineers often draw inspiration from living organisms when designing robotic grabbers. But Rice University researchers refused to copy natural mechanisms and decided to use dead spiders to develop a system for gripping small objects. 

What we know

Spiders have no muscles, and their limbs are actuated by a kind of hydraulics, which is controlled by a separate organ. It makes the legs move. The organ itself is located at the front of the spider's body and is called the prosome or cephalothorax.

Texas researchers have developed a mechanism that can propel limbs in dead individuals. The field of research is called necrobiotics.

Specialists insert a needle into the cephalothorax and attach it to the body of a dead spider. The researchers can inject or evacuate air through the syringe, causing the arthropod's limbs to start moving.

It was found experimentally that such a grip is able to lift a weight that exceeds the weight of the spider itself by 130%. According to scientists, one spider is enough to perform 1,000 cycles of opening/closing the grip before tissue degradation begins. In theory, the polymer coating could extend the lifespan.

The experiment wasn't done for fun. According to scientists, such manipulators could be useful for assembling and moving small objects. In particular, when assembling microelectronics.

Source: NewAtlas