New ‘Poké Ball’ robot catches deep-sea critters without harming them

This device could help unlock the secrets of fragile, soft-bodied sea creatures

robot catching a cephalopod

GOTCHA A new machine, shaped sort of like a five-fingered arcade claw, gently encloses soft-bodied sea creatures (like this cephalopod) to study before releasing them, unharmed, back into the ocean.

Z.E. Teoh et al/Science Robotics 2018

Like a submarine Poké Ball, a new robotic device gently captures and releases deep-sea creatures without a scratch.