Creepy Tentacle Robot Can Carefully Grasp Fragile Objects

Because what good is a robotic gripper if it breaks everything it touches, researchers at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a robotic gripper that can carefully grasp and pick up objects with its creepily long tentacles. Just imagine that thing slithering up your pant leg!

Drawing inspiration from nature (specifically octopuses and jellyfish), the SEAS researchers created a soft gripper that uses thin tentacles to “entangle and ensnare object, similar to how jellyfish collect stunned prey.” A rather unsettling image when applied to robotics. The tentacles are powered by air alone and don’t require any sensing, planning, or feedback control to operate. The individual pneumatic tentacles contract when air is removed, causing them to curl up and grab any objects they run into. Again, unsettling.

Fine, but if these things make their way to the doctor’s office, you can count me out. I can’t help but play with all the equipment after the nurse leaves, and I’m waiting for the doctor; there’s no telling what sort of trouble I’ll get into with one of these. I really don’t want to have to change doctors again.

[via adafruit]

Udon Noodle Inspired Blanket Looks Like a Tentacled Nightmare

Drawing inspiration from the thick udon noodles used in Japanese cuisine, the Udon for Sleeping Noodles Blanket is a “tentacles grid bedding cover,” which are four words I never thought I’d type together, yet here we are. The blanket (if you can even call it that) consists of eight large tentacles, secured at both the top and bottom by a cross strip, and all covered with a fine mesh top. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ve been sleeping under anything else my entire life.

The blanket measures approximately 43″ x 79″ and is perfect for the merperson who’s found themselves marooned on dry land, missing the comforting embrace of an octopus at night. Did I mention it costs $345 from the Japan Trend Shop? Now I’m not saying now would be a good time to learn how to sew and start your own Etsy shop selling similar blankets for $180, but I demand 20% of profits for giving you the idea.

[via Homecrux]

The Best Part of Waking Up… Is Kraken in Your Cup

Since it’s a fictitious creation, nobody really knows what a Kraken looks like. But the one thing we can all agree on is that the thing is a gigantic sea monster, and almost certainly has tentacles that it uses to snatch ships and drag them to the bottom of the ocean.

I think this Kraken tentacle mug does a great job capturing the spirit of this legendary sea beast, and has no need to show its body to get its point across.

The Kraken mug has a food-grade stainless steel cup insert, wrapped in a hand-sculpted food-grade resin. I love all of the details like the ship’s rivets, along with all of the suckers on the Kraken’s tentacles. Best of all, one of the tentacles serves as the mug’s handle. This mug is just one of the many creepy, morbid, and downright odd items featured in artist Michael Locascio’s Dellamorte & Co. Etsy shop.

It measures about 5.5″ tall, and holds 16 oz of your favorite beverage. I like the idea of some kind of rum since that’s all that pirates drink at sea, right? Yarrrrr! So if you want to be able to say “my mug has a Kraken it!” you can grab one of these cool drinking vessels over on Etsy for $45.

This Jellyfish Ceiling Lamp Won’t Sting

Jellyfish are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. If you’ve ever looked at them up close at the aquarium, they look like they have nothing inside of them, yet somehow they’re able to swim around and eat plankton. Of course if you’ve encountered one on the beach, it might have been a less pleasant experience, especially if you got stung. There’s even an eraser-sized jellyfish out there that can kill you with a single sting. Like I said, fascinating.

If you’re into looking at jellyfish, but don’t care for the venom, then maybe you should consider this jellyfish ceiling lamp. Artist Sue Donim handmakes these pendant lamps that look like the unique sea creatures. She makes them using bunched-up organza fabric, which gives them that soft and ethereal look.

Unlike actual jellyfish, these ones come in a variety of colors, and light up from the inside. You can choose one color for its head, and up to four different colors for its wispy tentacles. There’s a dimmable, 16-color LED bulb inside which includes a remote for changing colors too. Its head measures 15″ in diameter, and it’s about 42″ from the top to the bottom of its tentacles.

They’re $250 each over on the artist’s Etsy shop. Sue makes each jellyfish lamp to order, and since she’s a good person and currently using her sewing skills to make masks for healthcare workers, you’ll need to be a little patient if you order one. Shipping times are currently about a month from placing your order, but from the reviews I’ve read, it’ll be worth the wait.

An urchin-inspired coin-bank to store your ane’money’

tentacle_coinbank_1

A simple product that is highly indicative of what it stands for, the Tentacle Coin-bank by Hoi Ng came to life using two CAD modeling commands. Repeat and Extend… two commands that somehow ironically are liked to money too! A repetition of income, something we live for, and an extension of the hand to receive the income! Let’s not dwell too much the metaphorical side of it, but rather look at how simple and intuitive it is. Just looking at its bulbous shape and the dimension of the slits gives you an idea that it’s a coin bank… and this is without any imagery of pigs or currency.

The Tentacle Coin-bank also has the additional advantage of aesthetic appeal, looking more like a decorative desk toy than like a donation box of sorts… or a highly ornate swear jar!

Designer: Hoi Ng

tentacle_coinbank_2

tentacle_coinbank_3

tentacle_coinbank_4

This article was sent to us using the ‘Submit A Design’ feature.
We encourage designers/students/studios to send in their projects to be featured on Yanko Design!

Arduino Knife-wielding Tentacle Dares You to Turn it Off

YouTuber outaspaceman is a budding maker. Or a mad scientist. While learning how to use the Arduino, he accidentally built the opposite of the useless machine. It’s not exactly useful though.

arduino_littlebits_knife_wielding_tentacle_by_outaspaceman_tzoom in

The perfectly-titled Knife-wielding Tentacle is based on the Arduino tutorial program Blink Without Delay. Outaspaceman used littleBits’ proto and servo modules to move a toy tentacle instead. And then he had the Nobel Prize-winning idea of attaching a knife at the end of the tentacle. Skip to 1:33 for the result.

Some say the tentacle is still furiously swinging away, like a guy on a first date.

[via Digg]

Kraken Bookends Aren’t Recommended for Seafarers

I know the chances of a giant monster actually living at the bottom of the ocean are pretty slim, but the ocean is a very deep, and why tempt fate? The Kraken is probably one of the worst mythical sea monsters out there – reaching up to crush ships with its disgusting slimy tentacles.

If you have a penchant for mythical beasts and bizarre bookends, these Kraken bookends are just for you. Just be sure you’re not living on a boat.

kraken1magnify

You can purchase a these off Etsy where an artist by the name of Dellamorteco sculpted the shipwreck by hand, then cast it from resin and painted on a bronze finish. The result is incredibly realistic and lifelike and must’ve taken a very long time to make. You have to check out some of the close-up images to get an idea of how detailed these bookends really are.

krakentbmagnify

Priced at $250(USD), the limited-edition bookends aren’t exactly cheap, but considering it’s an handmade piece of art, the price isn’t too bad. There are more than a few people out there who would love to have a pair these sitting on their pirate-themed libraries.

kraken bookends 3 620x826magnify

[via Nerd Approved]

ThinkGeek Squirming Tentacle Can’t Even Hold onto Your Data

Over the years, we’ve seen some really bizarre USB gadgets turn up. We’ve seen plenty of lights, flash drives, and all manner of other devices. We’ve even had little USB powered dogs designed to hump away at your USB port. ThinkGeek has what might be one of the most unnecessary and weird USB gadgets I’ve ever seen.

ede3 usb squirming tentacle

The product is called the USB Squirming Tentacle, and it does exactly what the name implies. You plug the tentacle into your USB port and it flops around. You can pretend you’re notebook is part Cthulhu if you want.

I can only imagine what would happen if you hooked a bunch up to this:

24 port usb hub

Honestly, it reminds me more of some sort of alien data sucker gnawing away at your bits and bytes – like a giant leech with suction cups. If you want your own piece of wiggly evil, you can buy one for $14.99 (USD).

Ultimate Toilet Prank: Octopus Tentacle Plunger Lets You Scare the Crap Out of People

Octopus Tentacle Plunger1

Plungers. You can’t live without them, especially if you’ve got crappy plumbing, and you can’t live with them, if you’ve got a weak heart and believe that octopuses will invade your home via toilet one day. Of course, the previous statement only applies if you’re considering the Octopus Tentacle plunger, which looks amusing in the light but infinitely scarier in the dark.

Imagine walking into the bathroom in the middle of the night and opening the cover–only to have a huge-ass tentacle spring out at you. If it were me, I’d probably run away, screaming my head off (and giving the prankster who planted the plunger a good swift kick on the behind, if I catch who did it.)

Octopus Tentacle Plunger

It’s such a worthwhile prank that I’m surprised no one thought to design one–until now, that is. The Octopus Tentacle plunger is still a concept design at the moment, but I’m sure someone will come along and turn it into a real thing, given the scares it can elicit and the fact that it’s actually supposed to work as an actual plunger as well.

VIA [ Gadget Review ]

ThinkGeek’s latest USB gadget makes every day a day of the tentacle

Answer the call of Cthulhu with a USB squirming tentacle

It's harder than ever for a USB gadget to stand out these days, what with nearly everything seeming old hat, but ThinkGeek has cooked up something new that's sure to get noticed. While it unfortunately doesn't double as a memory stick as you might expect, the retailer's new USB Squirming Tentacle is very much a tentacle, and a squirming one. See for yourself after the break, and be prepared to shell out $25 if you feel the need to answer this particular call of Cthulhu.

Continue reading ThinkGeek's latest USB gadget makes every day a day of the tentacle

Filed under:

Comments

Via: Gizmodo

Source: ThinkGeek