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Scientists reanimate dead spiders as robot gripping claws (engineering)

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https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/28/23282...university

INTRO: Why bother to design your own robots when you can just reuse what nature created? This was the thought process behind a research project from engineers at Rice University who successfully transformed dead spiders into robotic gripping claws. The scientists have dubbed their new area of research “necrobotics” and say it could create cheap, effective, and biodegradable alternatives to current robotic systems.

So why spiders? Well, while humans move their limbs using pairs of antagonistic muscles, like biceps and triceps, spiders’ legs contain only a single flexor muscle that draws the leg inward. This is opposed by a hydraulic system: a chamber in the center of the spider’s body (known as a prosoma) pushes out fluid to open the leg, with separate valves allowing the animal to control each limb independently. Incidentally, this is why spiders always curl up when they die; there’s no pressure in the system to oppose the legs’ flexor muscles.
"Scientists can effectively operate the spider like an arcade claw machine"

Armed with this knowledge, the team from Rice University discovered they could artificially operate this hydraulic system simply by sticking a needle into a dead spider’s prosoma, pushing air in and out to open and close the spider’s legs like an arcade claw machine... (MORE - details)

https://youtu.be/1JOS6hMHIUM

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1JOS6hMHIUM
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