It's either a Herculean effort in editorial restraint or a stunning example of pop-culture cluelessness that this New Scientist article about the U.S. military developing robots with tentacles makes no mention of Spider-Man nemesis Dr. Octopus. I mean, the robot, which can pick up irregularly shaped objects that a claw-equipped robot would have difficulty grasping, is called the Octarm, for crying out loud. The researchers even explain that after looking at several examples of tentacle-like grasping in nature — from tongues to elephant trunks — they found that octopus limbs provide the best model. Then they go on to say that future developments of the technology could include "a robotic octopus or even a backpack with extra limbs." Remind you of any characters from a certain 2004 summer blockbuster, New Scientist writer David Hambling? At any rate, if any betentacled supervillains burst onto the scene in the next little while, you'll know those clowns at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are to blame. — Peter Pachal