“Zombie spiders” being leveraged to pick up items
(Picture: Preston Innovation Laboratory/Rice University)Be warned – that spider you slayed may just grab back as scientists are turning their inanimate bodies in to robots.
It’s the latest move in the world of soft robotics, where scientists have experimented with various natural textiles – in this case, spider cadavers.
Dr Daniel Preston and his colleagues at the Preston Innovation Laboratory, who published their study in the Advanced Science journal on Monday, have been repurposing the bugs as “robotic grippers”.
Dubbed “zombie spiders”, the mechanics of it all were inspired when lead author Faye Yap observed spiders curling up after death.
Spiders function with a hydraulic system that allows them to extend them legs, unlike human antagonistic muscle pairs like biceps and triceps in humans.
Dr Yap explained: “When they die, they lose the ability to actively pressurize their bodies. That’s why they curl up.”
The case was then made to leverage the mechanism for its “perfect architecture”.
None of JK Rowling’s unforgiveable curses are involved in the control of these arachnids, but the dark art of “necrobotics” seems equally chilling.
Speaking to the Standard, Dr Preston said that public surprise at the materials is often followed by an “a-ha moment” when they understand the mechanism.
Dr Preston, assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University in Houston, said: “We hope this research will spark new ideas for how we can respectfully and sustainably source and utilize biotic materials for robotics applications.
“While the necrobotic gripper may not appeal to everyone, especially arachnophobes, we emphasize that the spiders used in our work are inanimate and are employed solely as a naturally derived material that can readily function in robotic systems.”
So, no undead claw machines – for now.
