WATCH: Researchers develop octopus-inspired glove that grabs objects underwater

Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a glove that can allow swimmers to hold objects underwater firmly, reported Daily Mail.

The "octa-glove" can help save lives and valuable items that slip into the water. For example, divers rescuing someone and having to remove remains of a shipwreck.

The glove is inspired by the tentacles of an octopus. Robotic suckers with sensors are attached to the glove.

As soon as the sensor detects a close-by surface, it signals the controller which then activates the suckers' adhesion.

Researchers hope that octa-glove can help rescue divers, bridge engineers, underwater archaeologists, and salvage crews.

"Nature already has some great solutions which is why our team looked to the natural world for ideas," said Michael Bartlett, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering.

He said the octopus was "an obvious choice". Its eight arms take hold of a variety of objects underwater.

The tentacles are covered with suckers that are controlled by its muscular and nervous systems.

These suckers have an adhesive quality whereby if they make a seal with an object, the grip is quite firm and hard to escape.

"The octopus really brings together adhesion tunability, sensing, and control to manipulate objects underwater."

The team at Soft Materials and Structures Lab thus took inspiration and developed suckers of their own. 

"Just move your hand toward an object, and the glove does the work to grasp," said Bartlett.

Published in the journal Science Advances, their method gives insight into how nature can be used to draw inspiration from.