Scientists develop tentacles for robots to grip fragile objects.

[DetlefK]

https://gizmodo.com/harvard-debuts-robotic-tentacle-gripper-1849692898

The artificial tentacles are made from foot-long hollow rubber tubes with one side being slightly thicker than the other. When empty, they become limp and seemingly lifeless, hanging like straight hair, but when pumped full of air, they become pressurized and curl up like a pigtail. The curling action is more or less completely random, so if you were to put an object next to one of the tentacles as it curled up under pressure, there’s a chance it might wrap around it, and a chance it won’t. But place an object next to a large group of these tentacles, and it’s all but guaranteed that at least a few of them are going to wind around the object as they curl, and each other, and the more of these entanglements that occur, the stronger the grip becomes.

Collectively the group of tentacles provides a strong hold on an object, but individually, each tentacle has a relatively weak grip meaning there’s little risk of a fragile object being damaged in the process. And because the tentacles only provide a secure hold when they’re pumped full of air, simply releasing that pressure will also release what’s being held.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. More like the tendril of a climbing vine than a tentacle.

Operating principle is similar, except plants use hydraulic pressure.