Octupuses aid robotic research

THE hunting skills of octopuses are being used to develop nextgeneration robots as research shows the sea predators use certain tactics depending on the prey they are stalking.

The University of Minnesota team watched a California two-spot octopus as it tackled crabs and shrimp and found it pounced on crabs with a cat-like movement, while when hunting shrimp they were more careful to avoid spooking the prey.

The team say they can learn from octopuses to develop “an underwater vehicle or soft robot application”.