Pick up a ripe peach, and your fingers adjust almost without thought. You need enough pressure to hold it, but not enough to bruise it.

Teaching a machine to make those adjustments is harder than it sounds. Researchers in Italy have taken inspiration from an animal particularly good at gripping: the octopus.

Their 2026 study, published in Nature Machine Intelligence, demonstrates a soft robotic arm that senses contact through artificial suckers and uses that information to grasp objects underwater.

A flexible arm with touch built in

The prototype measures 41cm long and carries 10 artificial suckers. Cables inside its soft body allow it to bend and twist around objects.

Its touch sensors use light. Inside each sucker, tiny LEDs shine onto material that deforms when pressed. Light detectors register the changing reflections, helping the robot calculate how strongly something is pushing and from which direction.

That information guides its grip. Individual suckers can respond to contact while the control system coordinates the arm’s larger movements.

The octopus’s clever contribution

An octopus processes a substantial amount of sensory information within its arms. This helps it respond locally as it explores and handles objects.

The team at the Italian Institute of Technology, led by Barbara Mazzolai, borrowed that principle. Their robot combines sensing and movement along the arm, allowing it to adjust as it makes contact.

The researchers see potential for handling fragile objects underwater and carrying out inspection or maintenance in difficult-to-reach environments. They are now working to increase its carrying capacity and the variety of objects it can grasp.

From underwater gripping to gentler everyday tools

Other researchers are exploring how octopus-inspired technology could help with familiar tasks.

At the University of Bristol, a separate study published in 2025 developed a soft robotic system that uses air or water flow to grip objects and sense its surroundings.

The team identified several possible applications:

• Fruit harvesting: handling produce gently to avoid damage.
• Factory work: picking up fragile items.
• Medical tools: helping instruments stay anchored inside the body.

Bristol’s researchers are working to make their system smaller and more robust for practical use. The promise is machinery that can respond to what it touches, including objects that are soft, slippery or easily damaged.

The Bottom Line

Holding something securely is only half the task. Knowing when to soften or adjust a grip is what makes these designs worth watching, especially for jobs where a heavy touch can cause damage.