First-of-Its-Kind Underwater Glove Allows Humans to Suction Like Octopuses

A team of researchers led by Michael Bartlett from Virginia Tech has just developed a novel glove equipped with octopus-inspired adhesive perfect for gripping objects underwater.

Since humans are not naturally equipped to thrive underwater, we rely on breathing tanks, neoprene suits to keep our bodies warm and protected, and goggles to see clearly. However, one more challenge for humans underwater is holding on to objects. Underwater objects tend to be difficult for humans to grip.

Octopus-Inspired Adhesive Equipped Gloves

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: An octopus is seen on November 13, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. Following the Victorian government's easing COVID-19 restrictions on indoor entertainment venues, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium opened to the public on Friday with capacity restrictions and extra health and safety measures. Guests now have allocated time-slots to visit, a physical distancing between groups is encouraged while hygiene screens in various areas and extra cleaning processes have been introduced. All visitors aged 12 and above are also required to wear face masks.

Bartlett, the study's co-author, and assistant professor, says that in critical times when a person's disadvantages in water become a liability. Adding that nature has already offered a great solution. In a recent Science Advances study, "Octopus-inspired adhesive skins for intelligent and rapidly switchable underwater adhesion," the team looked to nature for ideas to compensate. The octopus became the researcher's obvious choice for inspiration.

Rescue divers, bridge engineers, and underwater archaeologists use their hands to extract objects and people from the water. Human hands, unfortunately, are less capable of holding slippery things and must resort to using force which can sometimes compromise operations. Having hands in the water would be helpful when a delicate touch is needed.

This is why bartlett and his colleagues sought to build an appendage that would help humans have delicate yet firm grips despite the water. The Soft Materials and Structures Lab team adapted a biological solution into new technology to ake soft materials and robotics.

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Nature Inspires Novel Gloves

According to a study, one of the unique creatures on the planet is octopuses. Equipped with eight long arms, the octopus can take hold of many objects in an aquatic environment. Integrating practical tools and intelligence, the octopus' are covered with suckers controlled by the animal's muscular and nervous systems.

Each octopus' suckers, shaped like the end of plungers, contributes to its powerful snatching ability. After the sucker's wide outer rim makes a seal with the object, muscles contract and relaxes the cupped area behind the suctions' rim to add and release pressure.

To design the glove, the team focused on re-imagining the octopus suckers: compliant, rubber stalks with soft actuated membranes. The design was created to perform the same function as the suckers.

Having developed the nature-inspired adhesive mechanisms, the team also needed a way for the globe to sense different objects and trigger the adhesion. For this, researchers sought the help of Erc Markvicka, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who added an array of micro-LIDAR proximity sensors that can detect the object's distance. The suckers and LIDAR were then connected through a microcontroller to pair the object sensing with the engagement of suckers, mimicking the nervous and muscular system of an octopus.

Ravi Tutika, a co-author, says that these capabilities can mimic the advanced sensing, manipulation, and control of cephalopods and provide a platform for synthetic underwater adhesive skins that can reliably manipulate a number of underwater objects, reports TechXplore.