quote [ Spider silk, already known as one of the strongest materials for its weight, turns out to have another unusual property that might lead to new kinds of artificial muscles. The resilient fibers respond very strongly to changes in humidity. Above a certain level, they suddenly contract and twist, exerting enough force to potentially be competitive with other materials being explored as actuators. "This could be very interesting for the robotics community. It's very precise in how you can control these motions by controlling the humidity." ]