Engineers at the University of Iowa have developed an octopus-inspired robot that is only one centimeter wide, and has “tentacles” so small and thin they can pick up and move objects such as fish eggs and ants without crushing them. Octopi have long inspired robotic designs, however, larger octopus robots are too thick to curl their “tentacles” and lack the precision to handle tiny objects. However, the University of Iowa-designed octobot is a microtube made of stretchy polymer known as elastomer. The robot is so thin that the tentacle can curl up to just 200 microns in diameter, as well as lift and move small objects. The octobot has potential uses in microsurgery, particularly vascular surgery where punctured blood vessels can cause aneurysms.
(Source: Popular Science)