In robotics, researchers like to take nature as a model, imitating the locomotion patterns of a wide variety of animals. Texas scientists go one step further. They turn dead animals – especially spiders – into robots by breathing life into their limbs with compressed air. It is a very efficient method for building robot grippers, for example. But an ethically questionable…
The idea came from Rice University mechanical engineers, who also came up with the correct name for their field of research: “Necrobotics”. The researchers used a wolf spider for their experiments, and the results were presented in “Advanced Science.”
Spider legs work hydraulically
With their ‘necro-robot’, the researchers take advantage of the fact that spiders move their limbs via a kind of hydraulic system: when blood is pumped from a chamber in the animal’s head into the leg of a spider, the leg stretches. If there is no blood, the leg contracts.
A single assembly step is enough to convert the dead spider – see video – into a robot gripper, Heise.de quotes from the study. “Coincidentally, the afterlife spider is the perfect architecture for small, nature-inspired claws,” said Daniel Preston, one of the authors. In addition, the use of dead organic components is cheap, the components obtained from dead animals are also biodegradable.
For their experiment, the researchers connected the carcass to a pneumatic system that directs air into the spider’s exoskeleton. The air causes the legs to move like in a living animal. In the experiments, the dead wolf spider managed to lift 1.3 times its own weight. Sticky hairs on the legs help.
Power depends on the spider species used
Exactly how much weight such a robot can lift depends on the type of spiders. According to the researchers’ calculations, especially large specimens such as the Goliath tarantula, which weigh up to 200 grams, can lift about a tenth of their body weight, but for particularly small specimens it can also be three hundred times as much.
In the first experiment with the spider grab, the researchers succeeded in at least 700 gripping actions, but after 1000 the first cracks appeared in the joints – probably due to dehydration. If the spider were covered in beeswax, the durability should be significantly higher, the researchers suspect.
Experiment leaves ethical questions unanswered
The Texas researchers are aware that robots made from dead animals are ethically questionable for many people. In the study, they explain: “The biotic raw material was obtained by euthanizing a wolf spider that had been exposed to freezing temperatures for five to seven days. The researchers note that there are currently no clear guidelines in the literature for ethical procurement and humane euthanasia of spiders.”
The researchers still want to continue their work and see the field of ‘necrobotics’ as promising. They want to continue to focus on creepy-crawlies: The researchers think that insects have the greatest necro-robot potential. Even smaller spiders and scorpions will be tested in future experiments.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
