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Spiders

spider attack

Spider Attack Simulator: An Excuse For Scientists to Torture Bees

I don't know what's going on over the pond, but it appears that September is robot spider month in the UK. First we saw the 50 foot robot spider that terrorized Liverpool, and now researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have developed a spider attack simulator that helps determine how bees avoid camouflaged predators. Although, I think its real purpose is to satisfy a juvenile urge to screw with their tiny little minds. More »

robot menace

50-Foot Robot Spider Plans to Attack the UK on Friday

Commuters at Liverpool's Lime Street station need only to glance at a nearby office block to bear witness to their impending doom. What they will see is a 50-foot, 40 ton spider that currently lies dormant, but it is set to "come alive" on Friday. Apparently, the spider is a component in an elaborate bit of street theater that will take place at various landmarks throughout the city—culminating in a "spectacular finish" on Sunday. More »

walking beast

Six Ton Walking Spider Takes Passengers on Giant Robot Rides

Martin Montesano's giant "Walking Beast" isn't the first robot spider ever made, but it is the only one I can recall that is this enormous and has the ability to take on passengers. His 12,000-pound, 23-foot-long creation was built over the course of three years at an expense of $50,000—and it can carry up to six passengers in its steel belly and two (including the driver) in the head. More »

lighting

36-Inch Twitching Spider: Your Worst Nightmare in Lamp Form

I have yet to meet someone who is genuinely not creeped out by spiders, so I would imagine that you could get a lot of laughs out of a 36-incher that features four twitching legs illuminated by purple incandescent lights. It would be great as a Halloween decoration, or for placing next to your partner in bed. Nothing starts a morning right like watching a loved one pee their pants and let out and a shrill, girlish scream. Now, that's invigorating. Available for $70. [Hammacher via Boing Boing Gadgets]

synthetic web

Glass Micromachine Makes Silk the Same Way Spiders Do

A team at the Technical University of Munich in Germany has designed a glass chip pierced with micro-sized tubes that act the same way as spider silk glands, and can be used to replicate the initial stages of natural silk production. It's an interesting development since production of artificial spider silk has proven difficult in industrial quantities and qualities, and its tensile strength to density ratio is five times that of steel, making it potentially very useful as armor and in medical applications. More »

don't bother saving me

Elios RescueBot Uses its Spider Arms to Save Lives

It's one thing to be rescued by a robot like this, but it's a completely different ballgame to see one of these creepy bots crawling your way when you're in need of help. Designed by Marcos Nolan, the Elios is a spider-like robot with 10 arms (carried in its belly) designed to lift people from harm's way and into safety. Optical and biometric sensors ensure Elios keeps on target whereas its rugged shell keeps it from being damaged. I admit, it looks cool as hell, but I'd probably faint if I saw one of these crawling my way. More »

robots

Fire-breathing Scorpion Looks Cool, Lacks Brains

There's no doubt this is one intimidating robot. It kinda reminds me of those killer spider bots in that old Gene Simmons movie Runaway (yup, I'm giving my age away). The bot has six legs that can be controlled individually and a flamethrower for a tail. An air bag-like mechanism on its belly lets the scorpion hoist itself up. Again, other than scaring kids and squirrels away, there's no point to this robot, but it still looks supercool. Check out the vid post jump. More »

gadgets

Spider Catcher, for Catch-and-Release Spider Hunting Fun

OK all you wussies, instead of smashing that spider against the wall with your bare hands and leaving a permanent stain, keep that eight-legged creepy-crawly arachnid at arms length with this Spider Catcher, made of stiff bristles that let you practice catch-and-release tactics in your own home. This device is even delicate enough to catch butterflies and moths without harming them. More »

robots

The Spiderbot: Scares Children, Kills Hippies

Debuted at Burning Man, this Spider Bot seats one and walks along at what seems like an earth-rumbling three miles an hour. Although slow, when you're seated in the Spider Bot, you look like a half-man, half-machine amalgamation that lost the lower part of its body in a horrific industrial accident. Perhaps something similar to the visuals in that ridiculous Will Smith movie from a few years back. More »

gadgets

Spider Catcher Catches Spiders

Spiders suck. They might eat insects and help catch bugs, but they creep me the hell out. When I saw this absolutely ridiculous-looking gadget called the "Spider Catcher", I knew it was made for me. You point this sucker at a spider, slam it into that sonofabitch and he's done-for, thanks to nylon bristles that keep him from moving. Then you can stick it in the toilet and flush him to hell. Of course, if you wanted to save a few bucks and get a little more intimate by using the back of a Time magazine, be my guest, but I'll take my chances with this device. More »