When we think of robots, we tend to anthropomorphize a bit. Years of TV and movies have gotten us used to thinking of the machines as mechanical versions of us. The fact is, though, the next generation of robots will come in a staggering variety of shapes and sizes, many of them — or at least come of their traits — inspired by the animal kingdom, like DARPA’s AlphaDog or this inflatable “soft robot” from Harvard. Researchers are hard at work trying to repurpose animal parts that could be useful to new robots, and the latest entries in that field are these 3D printed robotic suckers, which mimic the suctioning ability of a squid or octopus, and could help tomorrow’s robots grip objects, move around, and of course one day restrain human prisoners. Until that day, though, they will be pretty cool!
via Geekosystem
