Necrobotics

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/necrobotics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the pioneering research?Preston Innovation Lab, Rice University, Houston, Texas
2. What is the publication venue and date?Advanced Science, July 2022
3. How does a dead spider help a robot pick up toys?Scientists press air into the spider’s body, which pushes on the spider’s natural fluid system and makes its legs bend like a tiny gripper.
4. Why do scientists use dead spiders instead of regular robot parts?Using dead spiders is cheaper and easier because the spider’s own design already works for moving its legs.

Biotic Materials: Materials derived from living or once-living organisms, such as tissues and cellular structures.
Robotic Actuator: A component of a robot responsible for moving and controlling the robot's mechanisms.
Organic Hydraulic System: A biological system that uses pressurized fluid within an organism to generate force and movement.
Pneumatic Pressure: The force exerted by a gas, typically air, under pressure.