In an exciting development that seems ripped straight from a comic book, researchers have unveiled a real-life web-slinging prototype inspired by Spider-Man’s iconic web-shooters.
The invention showcases a fluid that transforms into a strong, sticky fiber capable of gripping objects — just like Spidey’s webs. The technology, developed by a team of researchers led by Marco Lo Presti from Tufts University, offers a fascinating leap in material science.
“We are demonstrating a way to shoot a fiber from a device, then adhere to and pick up an object from a distance,” said Lo Presti, a biomedical engineering researcher, in a statement.
While spiders are still the reigning champions of silk production, this device takes things one step further by shooting webs — something that even the most skilled arachnids can’t do.
“Rather than presenting this work as a bio-inspired material, it’s really a superhero-inspired material,” Lo Presti added.
At the heart of this invention is silk fibroin, a protein derived from the silk of moth cocoons. Silk fibroin naturally forms strong, adhesive fibers, but the challenge for researchers was figuring out how to make the material solidify in mid-air, much like Spider-Man’s webs. This puzzle was solved almost by accident.
Lo Presti discovered the key to the web-slinging breakthrough while working on a separate project involving strong adhesives. During an experiment, he noticed that cleaning his glassware with acetone led to the formation of a web-like material. This unexpected observation led to the realization that a combination of acetone and dopamine could rapidly solidify silk fibroin into a fiber that forms in real time.
Dopamine, the same chemical associated with pleasure in the human brain, plays a critical role in speeding up the solidification process. It worked by drawing out water from the silk fibroin, while acetone quickly evaporated, leaving behind a sticky, sturdy fiber. This process, which would normally take hours, occurred almost instantly thanks to this serendipitous discovery.
The resulting fibers can be shot from a small device, adhere to distant objects, and are strong enough to lift them — much like Spider-Man’s webs. While there’s still a long way to go before we can leap between buildings like Peter Parker, this new technology offers a glimpse into what the future of material science and biomimetic devices might hold.
The recent development is detailed in a study published in Advanced Functional Materials.
