3D-Printed Suckers Make Robot Octopus a Terrifying Possibility

Researchers are re-purposing animal parts that could be useful to new robots. The latest entries in that field are 3D-printed robotic suckers, which mimic the suction ability of a squid or octopus. It may one day help tomorrows robots grip objects, move around and, of course, one day restrain human prisoners. Until that day, though, they will be pretty cool.

Gripping and manipulating objects is another place where our prejudices may influence our thoughts on whats actually the best way to hold something. Working robotic fingers are pretty hard to make, though. More than that, a human hand and finger may not be the right tool for the job on an emergency-response robot built to squeez…
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