Researchers create powerful new robotic suction device modeled after Northern clingfish

Researchers at the University of Washington have made an important breakthrough in robotic suction, a simple concept that's been difficult to master. The scientists took inspiration from the Northern clingfish, a species common in the Pacific Northwest known for clinging to the underside of slipper oceanic rocks. The fish has a suction cup on its belly, which uses small hairlike structures to create a powerful connection to the slipperiest surfaces. The Nothern clingfish (pictured above) is famous for being able to attach to the slipperiest and most uneven surfaces, something which made it a main focus of researchers. A half-pound fish can create suction strong enough to lift a rock twelve times its bodyweight, and the connection is so powerful it remains in tact even after the fish has died.