If you’ve ever held a fish, you know that people are terrible at grabbing wet, slippery surfaces. In fact, some scientists think that our fingers get pruney just to manipulate objects underwater.
In a new study, researchers invented a glove that mimics octopus suckers to improve our grip. The device’s suction activates automatically and can pick up objects of all shapes and sizes. It could help rescue divers grab victims, archaeologists retrieve artifacts and engineers improve underwater construction.