Researchers create web-slinging technology inspired by Spider-Man

This innovation, developed at the Tufts University Silklab, mimics the web-shooting abilities of Spider-Man and uses fibres derived from silk moth cocoons.

The fibres are produced from a solution of silk fibroin, the primary protein found in silk. The process begins with the breakdown of silk moth cocoons, followed by extrusion through narrow-bore needles. When the solution is exposed to air, it solidifies into a fibre. According to the Silklab, adding specific chemicals to the silk fibroin solution facilitates this rapid transformation.

The researchers drew inspiration from nature, where various insects and arachnids produce silk during their lifecycle for constructing webs, cocoons, and tethers. Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts University and director of the Silklab, explained: “We can be inspired by nature. We can be inspired by comics and science fiction. In this case, we wanted to reverse engineer our silk material to behave the way nature originally designed it, and comic book writers imagined it.”

The accidental discovery of this technology occurred when Marco Lo Presti, a research assistant professor at Tufts, was experimenting with adhesives. While cleaning glassware with acetone, he noticed a web-like material forming, which led to further investigation. Lo Presti remarked: “I was working on a project making extremely strong adhesives using silk fibroin, and while I was cleaning my glassware with acetone, I noticed a web-like material forming on the bottom of the glass.”

The fibres can pick up objects over 80 times their own weight under various conditions. Photo: Marco Lo Presti

The breakthrough was achieved by combining silk fibroin with dopamine, which sped up the solidification process. Typically, silk fibroin solutions take hours to form a semi-solid hydrogel when exposed to solvents like ethanol or acetone. However, dopamine enabled the rapid creation of fibres with high tensile strength and stickiness. Dopamine’s role is linked to the chemistry used by barnacles to form strong, adhesive fibres.

To enable web-slinging, the researchers used a coaxial needle to shoot a thin stream of the silk fibroin solution surrounded by acetone. As the acetone evaporated mid-air, it left behind a solid fibre that attached to any object it contacted. Enhancing the solution with chitosan – a substance derived from insect exoskeletons – increased the tensile strength of the fibres up to 200 times, while a borate buffer raised the adhesive strength by about 18 times.

The device’s ability to shoot fibres allowed it to pick up objects more than 80 times its own weight, including items such as a steel bolt, a scalpel buried in sand, and a floating laboratory tube. The fibres’ diameter could be adjusted from the width of a human hair to half a millimetre, depending on the needle bore.

Lo Presti noted the difference between this technology and natural spider behaviour: “If you look at nature, you will find that spiders cannot shoot their web. They usually spin the silk out of their gland, physically contact a surface, and draw out the lines to construct their webs. We are demonstrating a way to shoot a fibre from a device, then adhere to and pick up an object from a distance. Rather than presenting this work as a bio-inspired material, it’s really a superhero-inspired material.”

Though the man-made fibres are still roughly 1,000 times weaker than natural spider silk, the research marks a significant step towards developing practical web-slinging technology. Omenetto highlighted the blend of creativity and scientific rigour driving the project: “As scientists and engineers, we navigate the boundary between imagination and practice. That’s where all the magic happens.”

The team believes their invention could pave the way for new technological applications, from robotics and medical devices to novel materials and adhesives. As the researchers continue refining the technology, what once seemed the stuff of fantasy may soon find its place in the real world.