Study of caterpillars shows how creepy-crawlies could help shape robots

A young academic won a major award from the prestigious Zoological Society of London recently for his devotion to studying the lives of "creepy crawlies".

Simon Chen researches how caterpillars manage to hold on to their food plants without falling off, and his findings could even have implications for future robotic technology.

The ZSL scientific prize that Chen won is an award established in 1837 to recognize outstanding contributions to zoological research and conservation by recognizing some of the brightest minds in conservation science.