Copying ants could improve grip of robots, research suggests

The robotic gripper is inspired by the strength and efficiency of the mouths of ants. Picture: Alamy/PA

Mimicking the actions of ants’ hairy jaws could make robots better at picking up objects and moving them around, researchers have found.

A prototype “hairy gripper” based on the mouths of ants has already been developed and tested with “excellent results”, according to a team from the University of Edinburgh.