This SpiderBot Underconstrained Cable-Suspended Robot developed at Ben-Gurion University Department of Mechanical Engineering Robotics Lab is truly a one-of-a-kind prototype.
It hangs from the ceiling; it moves by shooting cups mounted at the end of a lanyard, which then affix themselves to the ceiling.
I can't imagine a practical use for this robot (changing bulbs, maybe?) But you can't deny it's got style.
I can't think of any sfnal predecessors for this exact idea; however, you may recall that R2D2 also had the ability to launch a cable with a suction cup/magnetic cup.
Also, there have been a variety of sfnal robots that used the "spider" descriptor. Consider the
Sheem spider robot from James Schmitz' 1966 novel The Witches of Karres, the spider tripod robots from Arthur C. Clarke's 1972 novel Rendezvous with Rama and the
robot spider from Charles Sheffield's 1979 novel The Web Between the Worlds.
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