Scientists tested these motorized elastomer powered exoskeletons across three robotic applications.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
(Image credit: EPFL news blog ) Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Flipboard Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Swiss scientists have used dead lobster parts as robotic appendages. The strong yet flexible and lightweight exoskeletons of these marine animals have been successfully demonstrated as robotic manipulators, grippers, and swimmers or flappers flexing at up to 8 Hz. The use of dead animal parts makes this an advance in ‘necrobotics.’ This example of bio-hydrid robotics, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is particularly sustainable necro-tech, as it uses crustacean shells that are waste from food production.
Often, researchers are inspired by nature to create better man-made things. However, necrobotics unashamedly commandeers bits of (dead) nature to do its bidding. If you need a sustainable robot part, that is the size and shape of a lobster tail, then why reinvent the wheel?
“Exoskeletons combine mineralized shells with joint membranes, providing a balance of rigidity and flexibility that allows their segments to move independently. These features enable crustaceans’ rapid, high-torque movements in water, but they can also be very useful for robotics,” explains EPFL’s CREATE Lab head Josie Hughes. “And by repurposing food waste, we propose a sustainable cyclic design process in which materials can be recycled and adapted for new tasks.”
Dead mosquito proboscis used for high-resolution 3D printing nozzle
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/robot-kits/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/robot-kits/robots-fashioned-from-dead-lobster-exoskeletons-have-awesome-strength-light-weight-and-flexibility-necrobotics-advance-mixes-sustainable-food-waste-with-synthetic-components#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- As AI Grows More Complex, Model Builders Rely on NVIDIA
- 3 Ways NVIDIA Is Powering the Industrial Revolution
- [Daily Due Diligence] NVDA NVDA
- Ride Into Adventure With Capcom’s ‘Monster Hunter Stories’ Series in the Cloud
- Now Generally Available, NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72GB Blackwell GPU Expands Memory Options for Desktop Agentic AI
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.