A new collection robot has been developed by Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The new robot is a solution to collecting “squishy” and delicate deep sea organisms. The 3-D printed polyhedron folds into a hollow dodecahedron and is known as a Rotary Actuated Dodecahedron (RAD).

Collaborating author David Gruber had this to say about the project:

““We approach these animals as if they are works of art: would we cut pieces out of the Mona Lisa to study it? No – we’d use the most innovative tools available. These deep-sea organisms, some being thousands of years old, deserve to be treated with a similar gentleness when we’re interacting with them”

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