Researchers at Iowa State University have developed tiny tentacles that can gently wrap around small objects to carefully manipulate them. The technology may find use in robotic surgery as well as reproductive medicine, but for now it has been demonstrated by lifting ants and grabbing fish eggs without hurting them.
The tentacles are made out of tubes of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), a silicon-based organic polymer used in the production of contact lenses. The tubes have a strategically positioned hump near the base and a capped end, which helps the tubes curl when air is pumped in and out. By regulating the air pressure within the tube, the curling of the device can be carefully controlled.
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