Scientists Have Found a Way to Control Dead Spiders as Robot Arms to Lift Heavy Objects.
In a new study, mechanical engineers from Rice University have discovered a method to transform the bodies of dead spiders into a mechanical gripper. These “Necrobotic” spiders can even lift objects larger than themselves.
“There are a few instances where the dead spiders are the perfect architecture for small-scale grippers, derived from nature,” said Daniel Preston from the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University.
A dead spider activated to pick up objects.
The engineers used wolf spiders for their research. This species can lift weights greater than 130% of their body weight. Essentially, spiders use blood pressure as a form of hydraulics to move their limbs. There is a chamber near their heads, called the prosoma, which contracts to send blood to their legs, forcing them to extend, and when the pressure decreases, the legs retract.
This is why, when spiders die, their hearts stop beating, pressure is lost, and they curl up into a ball. The scientists paired this natural pressure system with a syringe filled with air to create a functional robot arm.
An illustration showing how Rice University mechanical engineers transform dead spiders into robotic arms to grasp objects when activated by hydraulic pressure.
“This field is exciting because we are utilizing materials and actuation mechanisms that have not been previously explored,” Assistant Professor Daniel Preston noted. According to Preston, the potential applications of this research in the future will include areas such as microelectronics assembly.
The results show that the bodies of wolf spiders are remarkably durable. They can undergo about 1,000 cycles of leg opening and closing before the joints start to fail. This issue could even be resolved by adding a polymer coating to prevent biodegradation.
Another interesting fact is that the smaller the spider, the more weight it can lift relative to its own body weight.
Turning dead spiders into robotic arms
