Scientists from a German engineering firm have created robotic arms that closely resemble those of Doctor Octopus, one of Spider-Man's arch rivals. Like the comic book character, the arms have claw tips and possess artificial intelligence, according to an article on IGN.

The arms were developed after a proof-of-concept was drafted by Festo from Denkendorf, Germany. The arms, which also look like the trunk of an elephant, were created using 3D-printed segments, Geekosystem reported.

Equipped with pneumatic artificial muscles and artificial intelligence, each robotic arm is programmed to learn through a trial and error process. Specifically, its learning process starts by first trying to grasp an object. Then, if it makes a mistake, it adjusts its positioning and muscle behavior before going for the object again. It repeats this process until it successfully performs the action.

Paul Marks of New Scientist got a first hand experience of the robotic arm's learning process after controlling it in the laboratory of Jochen Steil, an intelligent systems engineer in Bielefeld University in Germany.

He wrote, "As I move the bionic trunk in Steil's lab into different positions it initially resists. But then yields and follows my movement. The next time I try to push it to the same spot, it moves easily, because the behavior has been learned. The robot now has muscle memory, which makes it even more alive."

Since Festo is planning to launch the robotic arms in industrial facilities, several safety features have been added to address issues regarding human-robot interactions, according to a previous article on New Scientist.

Resistance sensors on each arm limit and control its extension once it senses contact with an object or a person. As for the claws or grippers, the three fin-shaped fingers are made of collapsible compartments that wrap around an object. This eliminates the need to exert force to grasp an object and minimizes the risk of injury for humans.

Check out the Doc Ock arms in action in the clip below.