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Octa-glove takes an underwater Virginia Tech playing card from Michael Bartlett’s lab. Credit: Virginia Tech A research team led by Michael Bartlett of Virginia Tech has developed an octopus-inspired glove that can safely grip objects underwater. Their research was selected for the July 13 cover Science Advances . Humans are not naturally equipped to thrive in an underwater environment. We use tanks to breathe, neoprene clothing to protect and warm us, and glasses to see clearly. In such an environment, human hands are also not well equipped to hold things. Anyone who has tried to hold a wriggling fish will testify that underwater objects are difficult to grip with our land-dwelling fingers. “There are critical moments when this becomes mandatory,” said Bartlett, an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering. “Nature already has some great solutions, so our team looked to the

A research team led by Michael Bartlett of Virginia Tech has developed an octopus-inspired glove that can safely grip objects underwater. Their research was selected for the cover of Science Advances on July 13. Humans are not naturally equipped to thrive in an underwater environment. We use tanks to breathe, neoprene clothing to protect and warm us, and glasses to see clearly. In such an environment, human hands are also not well equipped to hold things. Anyone who has tried to hold a wriggling fish will testify that underwater objects are difficult to grip with our land-dwelling fingers. “There are critical moments when this becomes mandatory,” said Bartlett, an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering. “Nature already has some great solutions, so our team looks to the natural world for ideas. Octopus being the obvious choice for inspiration.” Rescue divers, underwater archaeologists, bridge engineers, and rescue crews all use their hands to get people an