Does the Octopus Hold the Key To Robot Design?

balancedi writes "Simultaneously controling 8 jointless arms without getting them all tangled up is a neat trick that octopuses do with ease. According to a National Geographic article several researchers from around the world think understanding the octopus holds to key to the optimal robot design."

Comments

Overlooking the Obvious?

[ackthpt]

The fact that an octopus doesn't get tangled up is probably related to the fact that the arms are (1) smooth, (2) pliable, (3) slippery, (4) oiled/lubricated, (5) immersed in a fluid. The way the arm tapers from large to small probably has some value here, too.

How about this, in a Darwinian frame of reference:

Those octopi whose arms did tangle were eventually removed from the gene pool.

this comment may not be deemed appropriate for some schools, where the octopus is viewed as a diety