Octopus-inspired glove grips objects underwater

Underwater, the human hand is poorly equipped to hold onto things. Michael Bartlett, assistant professor at Virgina Tech and leader of the research, explained that there are critical times when this becomes a liability.

Rescue divers, underwater archaeologists, bridge engineers, and salvage crews all use their hands to extract people and objects from water. Human hands with less capability to hold slippery things must resort to using more force, and an iron grip can sometimes compromise those operations. When a delicate touch is required, it would be helpful to have hands made for water.

With this in mind, Bartlett and his team in the Soft Materials and Structures Lab adapted biological solutions into new technologies made from soft materials and robotics.

The octopus is equipped with eight long arms, covered with suckers controlled by the sea animal’s muscular and nervous systems. Each sucker, shaped like the end of a plunger, contributes a powerful snatching ability.