A Japanese mechanical engineer named Xinwei Wang has been investigating spider silk from a spider called the Golden Silk Orbweaver that is known for making complicated webs. The engineer was testing the spider silk for external connectivity and discovered that it is about 800 times more effective at conducting thermal energy than any other organic material tested.

In fact, it was better than almost all non-organic materials tested including copper, iron, and silicon. Another interesting factoid is that the research team discovered that by stretching the silk to 20% of its capacity, thermal conductivity also increased by 20%. Typically, when material is stretched it loses thermal conductivity. There are no plans to use this spider silk for making electronics right now, but in the future spiders webs inside your computer could be there to keep your PC cool rather than because you don’t keep it clean.

[Iowa State University via GizMag]

There is no info on how this thing works – Tim just says it’s “air-powered.” All I know is that it is creepy as hell when it moves. Call in some F-17s to spray this thing with Raid before it reproduces. You can see more of Tim’s work here.

[via Propnomicon via SuperPunch via Neatorama]

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God only knows what they will build next when they tire of playing with their robot spiders and snakes. I would say that these people need to be stopped, except that if I do say it, they will probably send these metal demons to my house and I will be slowly digested over 100 years in this snake’s belly.

One of the creators says that Titanoboa is supposed to make people contemplate historical climate change. No, that didn’t really work for me. It just makes me want to kill it and save humanity, even though I’d probably just hide in the corner and whimper when that failed.

[via TDW Geeks via Geekologie]

The Fraunhofer Institute has unveiled a new design for a robot that looks like a spider. The ‘bot is highly mobile and uses hydraulics for powering its legs. Each leg has a bellows system that forces fluid into the legs to make the robot scurry about.

Some versions of the spider ‘bot can even jump. The robot is intended to be used to help locate gas leaks or to check areas where humans can’t venture due to tight spaces or dangers like radiation. The researchers think the robots will be relatively cheap to produce as well, making it easy to use in situations where the robot might not be able to return.

Hector was developed by the University of Bielefeld and Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden. The robot was a project to see how future ‘bots could explore and navigate autonomously. Hector is supposed to be a cognitive robot and weighs about 26 pounds. Thanks to its 20 joints and robust exoskeleton, it could probably give Spider-Man a run for his money.

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From the looks of the video, they’ve only got one leg working so far, but someday autonomous swarms of these robots could be used to explore other planets like Mars, but that’s still a few years off.

[via Plastic Pals]

If that isn’t enough to give you arachnophobia, the spider comes complete with egg missiles and drones. Ever since I first discovered Spider-Man, I’ve had a weakness for spiders, so it doesn’t particularly creep me out.

What’s really amazing about this build is the amount of detail that went into it. It starts to make sense when you take a look at it closely, but it’s only then that you see what kinds of bricks were used to make this thing. Even so, it’s kind of amazing how un-LEGO-like this build looks.

[via Brothers Brick]

Assuming you’re not an arachnophobe, you might enjoy one of these Spiderpodium stands for your media player or phone. But if you’re like many, you’ll probably think they’re too creepy looking. All I could think of when I saw these things was that scene from John Carpenter’s The Thing where the decapitated head sprouts legs and starts walking. If you can actually get over the creepy-crawliness of it all, the bendy-legged design is actually quite ingenious, letting you put your iPhone, iPod, or other handheld gadgets just about anywhere.

If spiders and other 8-legged things don’t give you the heebee jeebees, you can pre-order the Spiderpodium from breffo for £14.99 (appx. $23 USD).

[via Chip Chick via SlipperyBrick]

Now you too can freak the hell out of your significant other with this oversize remote-controlled spider with glowing LED eyeballs. No Boundaries’ infrared R/C spider not only can make its way across your floor, it can climb walls or even move on your ceiling. I suppose climb is actually the wrong word. You see, my spidey sense is telling me that this guys legs don’t actually propel him along. Instead, a powerful fan creates enough suction to hold the plastic arachnid in place on horizontal or vertical surfaces, and movement is acheived through tiny wheels on the bottom of the bug. C’mon, really? What’s the last time you saw a spider with wheels and light up eyes. And right now doesn’t count.

Still, this creepy (non)crawler looks like it could be fun for at least 3 or 4 minutes – or until the cat kills it, whichever comes first. You can grab one over at UK Gadget shop I Want One of Those for £29.99 (appx. $49 USD).

Eye-catching, to say the least. Or is that fly-catching? Oh ho ho.

This particular custom Xbox 360 mod is the work of deviantARTist AceCasanova, who has done a number of console paintjobs, like this one:

Photo’s a little blurry, but the color is just incredible. Part of me really wants to paint my 360. The rest of me realizes it will probably break (again) and need to be replaced (again).

Check out these mods and others at AceCasanova’s deviantART gallery.

The theater group La Machine terrorized performed at the Yokohama Bayside Area, bringing with them their 40 ft tall, 37-ton giant robot spiders. Finally, something weird and robotic that’s not from Japan.

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As you saw from the video, the spiders can move their legs but are really anchored to a crane. They also spout water from their mouth and butt. Yech. The robots are operated by 13 of the luckiest people in the world, people who get to control and ride on giant robot spiders. But La Machine’s performance isn’t limited to the robots alone; the production includes live music as well as fireworks. You can check out La Machine’s gallery for more pics; The Boston Globe also has some amazing pictures from La Machine’s performance in Liverpool, England last year courtesy of photographer Peter Carr.

[via hacknmod]

So they went and tried to see if they could strengthen another biological material – in this case spider silk – by adding metals to it. After trying various metallic compounds, the scientists found that “all of the compounds dramatically increased both the tensile strength of the silk, as well as its extensibility. In short, the researchers had taken an unusually tough material and made it even tougher, with the best results produced by the aluminum and titanium treatments. ”

Here’s where it gets better: The scientists further theorized that this sort of spider silk can be mass produced. Woohooo! Segway schmegway: web slinging is the future of pedestrian transportation. Please let it be so.

[via Ars Technica]

This massive R/C black widow spider is designed to be an “educational toy”, but if I had one of these in class when I was a kid, it would have ended me up in the principal’s office for sure.

Created by London’s Natural History Museum, the larger-than-life (appx 12″ long by 10″ wide) mechanical arachnid can creep forward, backwards, left, right, or even spin itself around on a dime. The remote control works from up to 30 feet away, letting you stalk your unwitting victims from around a corner or hiding in their closet.

Ready to unleash havoc? Head on over to UK gadget retailer Play.com and plunk down your £17.99 (appx. $28 USD). Venom not included.

Among my personal favorites are the bot above, which although NASA-branded looks like it’s made out of a beer can, and the bot below, which contains a hidden cigarette lighter. It looks a bit like a cross between one of those metal mallets you use to pound meat and Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.

As well, they include these Japanese creations, one of which is an awesomely freaky-looking spiderbot. I wouldn’t want to run into that thing in a dark alley.

Still, even though these have great kitsch value, our robot-making skills have come a long way, baby. Meaning, now we can make ones that actually do stuff. If only modern robot makers would find a way to combine 1950s form with 2008 functionality. Sigh.

You can see pictures of a whole bunch more cool 1950s robots at Dark Roasted Blend.