They are creepy. They love to crawl. Whether we notice them or not, they are actually everywhere. They are also inspiration for innovation! What the?
Most of us don't want spiders near us. It's always unsettling when they sneak around in the shower, sleep, walk into invisible nets, suddenly jump far away, or suddenly emerge from cracks. Some are large, some are deadly, but most are harmless.
But it turns out that they inspire far more than fear or Spider-Man who can cast a net to save someone in danger. Who knew that these terrible eight-legged critters could bring us more than we could have imagined. Here are 10 innovations that we can thank for the impact of these little "horrors.")
10 Better than Band-Aids: Surgical tape that adheres to wet surfaces
Surgical tape
At some point in your life, you definitely need Band-Aids, stitches, gauze and medical glue tapes to keep your healing wounds clean. So when the Band-Aid is wet with water, the Band-Aid will slip off and even be harmful to the wound, and it's too much trouble to have to constantly replace them, isn't it?
Scientists at MIT are inventing a surgical tape that can be used to bond and seal wounds in a matter of seconds using water, like a spider's web absorbing water, creating a stickier insect trap. It is a double-sided adhesive with a very strong adhesion and has been successfully tested on pig skin and lungs. They use polyacrylic acid to absorb moisture and form a gelatin-reinforced bond that breaks down harmlessly in the body when the wound heals. There is no need to make another appointment for thread removal or itchy rashes on medical tape.
9 Kevlar: Spider silk body armor
Kevlar fibers may have been inventions of the past, although it was also inspired by spider silk. Some of its newer branches are dwarfed by the lightweight, tough polymers used in items ranging from body armor to sailing sails.
A 0.22 caliber bullet requires 33 layers of Kevlar fiber to block. But a new material called "dragon silk," made of silk produced by a golden ball weave spider, takes just 4 layers to stop bullets of the same caliber. It is so promising that the U.S. Army has invested in its production and hopes to use it widely in the future.
Then, work at Washington University in St. Louis produced a type of rayon called a "polymeric amyloid" fiber. This is a derivative of spider silk, produced by "engineered bacteria whose recombinant silk performs on a par with its natural counterpart in all important mechanical properties". The goal now is to create something stronger than spider silk. It turns out that smart human brains, bacteria, and spiders make up a great team
8 Networks for microscopic imaging: miniature dome lenses
The medical community is indeed cultivating a love of spiders. At Tamkang University and Yangming University in Taiwan, researchers are designing tiny lenses that can be used for imaging the interior of the human body. These lenses are very small and almost comparable to red blood cells. So they can go almost anywhere in the body... These are some very promising applications.
For medical research, it could be truly revolutionary and much less invasive than existing technology. Wouldn't that be great if we ended up using the Spider-Man senses as a side effect?
7 Spider Venom may be better than Viagra
The male who was unfortunate enough to be bitten by one of the most poisonous spiders in the world, the Brazilian stray spider, has another detailed side effect in addition to pain and torture... Very long-lasting erections. But science has extracted some toxins from them to make a gel that achieves the same result.
Admittedly, the BZ371 gel may need a more appealing nickname to the public. But it obviously works well within 20-30 minutes of application, without any irritation and without side effects. Reportedly lasted about 60 minutes.
6 Eight slender limbs: more efficient robots
Even if a spider's crawling makes you chill on your back, you have to admit that it's unique and they do some really remarkable things. If we could all move like them, we would be unstoppable. Unfortunately, we only have 2 legs and the joint orientation and flexibility are very limited. Even practicing yoga for eight hours a day will never bring us close to the movement of our arachnid brothers. But this ability has not disappeared in the world of robotics.
Researchers have created limbs and joints that mimic spider legs, providing greater functionality and fewer components for robots that are used in many different ways. Create lighter, smaller parts with excellent mobility that can be used on almost any robot. It has been hailed as a real leap forward in robotics.
5 We all have the potential to become Spider-Man! : Real cobweb shooter
Who wouldn't want to be able to shoot a web after watching or reading Spider-Man? It's so cool. Someone is trying to make it a reality. It can even allow us to swing from one building to another.
A mechanical engineer from South Africa named JT uses metal cylinders with long cables embedded with metal hooks that can grab metal bars. Powered by compressed propane and "custom-designed igniters," they eventually became a Spider-Man.
4 Stylish, functional spider suits: sustainable web style fashion
A company called Bolt Threads has bioengineered a yeast with a spider silk protein gene. When yeast ferments, it produces a silk protein, which is then purified and spun into a textile called MicroSilk. Adidas has used a mixture of this material to make a lightweight tennis skirt. Another company, AMSilk, produces a similar material called BioSteel, which Adidas uses on sneakers. It now appears that the aviation industry is becoming more and more interested in these synthetic silk materials due to the weight reduction.
3 Poisons can relieve pain: Tarantula venom can replace opioids
We've all recently realized how disruptive and threatening the widespread use of synthetic opioids can be. Side effects come in many forms: rash, constipation, nausea, respiratory distress, and even addiction. The need for alternative pain treatments is real for people with chronic and neuropathic pain, and science is just that.
At the University of Queensland, researchers have found molecules in tarantula venom of Chinese bird spiders that can develop into tiny proteins attached to pain receptor cells. When used, it can surround the cell membranes around pain receptors, blocking their ability. So far, no side effects have been recorded.
All the research is done in mice, and who would have thought that something that would bring severe pain could also be used to fight it?
2 Spider Silk Milk: Goat genes are manipulated to produce spider silk
Move over, Dr. Frankenstein! The science of bionics is advancing at a rapid pace. We're finally learning more lessons from nature than trying to dominate her. A company called Nexia has been genetically manipulating goat eggs, using the golden ball weave silk gene to make goats that produce spider silk proteins while they produce milk. This is possible because the glands of goats that produce milk are very similar to the glands of spiders that produce silk. Goat milk is also used in the production of other drugs. So, despite the inevitable controversy, this is a reasonable leap in the scientific mind.
It is well known that spider silk is as strong as steel or stronger than steel. This strength, flexibility and durability can have a large number of applications available in our daily lives, from engineering buildings and roads in earthquake-prone areas to surgical transplants. Therefore, mass production of silk is an attractive idea.
1 Reflective Net Can Save Birds: Ultraviolet Reflective Glass
There is a very unique aspect of bird vision. They can see ultraviolet light. How many birds have hit the glass of your window? That loud thumping sound is usually startling and sometimes breaks the glass. Some of the birds just stunned for a moment, and some eventually died. Well, it turns out that spider webs reflect the ultraviolet rays that our feathered friends can see. Our feathered friends can see them to avoid them, saving the spider's time and effort
The discovery inspired German glass company Glaswerke Arnold to develop Orinlux Bird Protection Glass. Buildings that use this glass, which is embedded in ultraviolet reflective lines, have reportedly reduced bird strikes by 75-90%. To us, the windows look like ordinary transparent glass panels, while the "invisible", chaotic ultraviolet pattern warns birds not to soar without the open air. It was developed in 2006 and eventually took its place in many new buildings, while it is expected to be widely used in the near future.