A nightmarish robot with Venus flytraps for hands that can trap objects in its jaw-like leaves -- and then pick them up -- has been developed by scientists. Engineers from Singapore used tiny remote-controlled electrodes to stimulate severed leaves of the iconic carnivorous plants into closing on command. While the project may seem straight out of the mad scientists' playbook, integrating soft and flexible plant matter into robots could have sensible practical applications. It would allow robots to pick up and manipulate fragile objects that might otherwise be damaged by traditional, mechanical graspers, the team explained. At the same time, it requires less power and responds more rapidly than traditional soft actuators made from polymer-based materials.