Robots are 'milking scorpions' for deadly venom

A'scorpion-milking' robot has been developed to extract venom from the arachnids faster and more safely for use in cancer research. Scorpion venom is normally milked by toxicologists manually, a dangerous procedure where one wrong move can prove deadly. The new machine allows researchers to strap scorpions into an extractor, reducing their contact time with the beasts and making venom extraction safer. A'scorpion-milking' robot (pictured) has been developed to extract venom from the arachnids faster and more safely for use in cancer research. Current scorpion-milking methods can be dangerous both for the animals, due to punctures made to the venom gland or damage to the abdomen, and to the researchers, due to electric shocks from the equipment.