Scientists turn dead spiders into robots able to grip small objects

If you think dead spider robots are something straight out of a horror movie (or your worst nightmares), I have some news for you. Mechanical engineers from Rice University have actually turned spider cadavers into what they call “necrobots,” able to function as mechanical grippers. What’s “necrobotics?” The use of animal characteristics or components to create robotic systems isn’t a novelty in research. Think of bio-inspired and biohybrid robots. On the left: Harvard’s bio-inspired robot, the Octobot. On the right: An example of a biohybrid robot, which is a tissue-engineered ray controlled by light. Credit: Harvard University, Kevin Kit Parket…

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