Coffeebot

What do you get when you have balloons, coffee grounds and a vacuum cleaner? No, it's not the aftermath of an all-night party, but a fingerless hand called the 'gripper' that gives robots the ability to pick-up any object with ease. An idea led by Eric Brown of the University of Chicago, who teamed up with Cornell University and US firm iRobot, they created the innovative hand with the classic 'claw' arcade game in mind -- you know the one where you maneuver the claw to pick up a stuffed animal, candy or that one prized Faux-lex watch. Watch this video and be amazed at how a coffee ground-filled balloon and the suction from a vacuum cleaner can make picking up something as small as a pin or pour a glass of water look like a piece o' cake. What will they think of next? Maybe one of these guys will be as common as having a vacuum cleaner in your house to do all the dirty work in a few years.