Why bother to design your own robots when you can just reuse what nature created?<\/p>\n

This was the thought process behind a research project from engineers at Rice University who successfully transformed dead spiders into robotic gripping claws. The scientists have dubbed their new area of research \u201cnecrobotics\u201d and say it could create cheap, effective, and biodegradable alternatives to current robotic systems. <\/p>\n

So why spiders? Well, while humans move their limbs using pairs of antagonistic muscles, like biceps and triceps, spiders\u2019 legs contain only a single flexor muscle that draws the leg inward. This is opposed by a hydraulic system: a chamber in the center of the spider\u2019s body (known as a prosoma) pushes out fluid to open the leg, with separate valves allowing the animal to control each limb independently. Incidentally, this is why spiders always curl up when they die; there\u2019s no pressure in the system to oppose the legs\u2019 flexor muscles.<\/p>\n