Researchers at Rice University in Houston have been working on a project that truly makes you reevaluate what “technology” actually means. They injected air into the body of a dead spider that had already passed away and had not been injured. The legs went out. The spider held onto things. It turned into a robot in the most basic and unsettling way.
It sounds like a Frankenstein reboot that no one requested. However, the underlying science is really sophisticated. Spiders move by applying hydraulic pressure, which forces fluid into their limbs. That system breaks down when they pass away. It was merely artificially reactivated by the Rice University team. The idea is still in its early stages, almost at the proof-of-concept stage.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Primary Topic | Emerging technologies reshaping human life and industry |
| Key Institutions | Rice University (Necrobotics Lab), City University of Hong Kong (E-skin & Smelly VR) |
| Featured Technologies | Necrobotics, Sand Batteries, E-skin, Olfactory VR |
| Sand Battery Specs | 100 tons of sand in a 4×7 metre steel container |
| Energy Method | Resistive heating using wind and solar electricity |
| E-skin Developer | Engineers at City University of Hong Kong |
| E-skin Function | Flexible actuators converting movement to electrical signals via Bluetooth |
| Smelly VR Design | Two versions: upper-lip mount and full facemask with hundreds of odour combinations |
| WEF Initiative | Technology Pioneer community, launched in 2000 |
| WEF Cohort Size | New group recognized annually, incorporated into global initiatives |
| Impact Area | Healthcare, climate, communication, finance, commerce |
| Publication Reference | BBC Science Focus, July 7, 2023 |
But after giving the concept some thought, it’s difficult to ignore how it raises the possibility that nature’s own engineering, which has been refined over millions of years, may be ready to be appropriated.
Some new technologies don’t feel that weird. Some are even more fascinating because they are nearly frustratingly simple. A team of engineers in Finland filled a steel container that was about four meters wide and seven meters tall with 100 tons of sand. They used solar and wind energy to heat it. The heat persisted. Through the infrastructure of a nearby energy company, it remained long enough to warm entire buildings in the vicinity.
The idea is known as resistive heating: heat is produced by friction when electricity flows through a non-superconductor, and it is eventually stored and released. One of the most prevalent materials on the planet, sand serves as a massive battery. It’s possible that the lack of drama in this kind of solution is the reason it gets ignored.
In the meantime, researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have been focusing on something intimate rather than industrial, which is at the other end of the emotional spectrum. They created a wireless soft e-skin, which is a flexible substance with actuators built into it that detect the wearer’s movements and translate them into electrical signals. These signals are converted back into physical vibration after traveling via Bluetooth to another e-skin located somewhere else in the world.
According to researchers, the feeling is sufficiently similar to the original movement to mimic touch. As this develops, there’s a sense that something quietly important is taking place, that the long-standing divide between physical presence and digital connection may be closing.
The same university has been developing an olfactory virtual reality system that uses heated, odor-carrying wax to create scents. There are two designs: a full facemask version that can create hundreds of different scent combinations, and one that is worn under the nose. Cinema and education are two of the applications mentioned.
The question of whether we genuinely want to smell everything we watch is raised. Most likely not all the time. However, the ability to do so changes our understanding of immersion and what “experience” actually entails in a digital setting.
These technologies are not isolated from one another. Since 2000, the World Economic Forum has monitored this type of innovation through its Technology Pioneer community, which consists of early and growth-stage businesses worldwide that are developing the next generation of tools, systems, and concepts.
Recent forecasts from that community have strongly favored the maturation of Web3 commerce, AI-assisted financial inclusion, and quantum computing. Though its precise form is still unknown, those closest to this work seem to think that a dramatic turning point is imminent.
The dead spider robots, sand batteries, touchable internet, and smellable movies are all connected by more than just novelty. It’s a more general indication that the limits of what is deemed feasible or practical have been shifting more quickly than most public discourse recognizes.
Software updates and consumer electronics are often the focus of technology journalism. Seldom does the slower, stranger work taking place in university labs and small engineering firms receive the attention it most likely merits.
Whether any one of these discoveries will have the same cultural impact as, say, the internet or smartphone is still up in the air. However, history indicates that these things seldom make a big announcement. The sand battery didn’t last long in the news.
In a news cycle, the e-skin research came and went. And somewhere in Houston, a dead spider is waiting for the rest of the world to catch up while patiently and motionlessly gripping objects in a lab.
