  In robotics, an end effector is a device at the end of a robotic arm that is
designed to physically interact with objects in the environment or with the
environment itself. Effectively, it serves as the hand of the robot, carrying
out tasks on behalf of humans. But could we turn this concept on its head and
consider using living organisms themselves as end effectors? This paper
introduces a novel idea of using whole living organisms as end effectors for
robotics. We showcase this by demonstrating that pill bugs and chitons -- types
of small, harmless creatures -- can be utilized as functional grippers.
Crucially, this method does not harm these creatures, enabling their release
back into nature after use. How this concept may be expanded to other organisms
and applications is also discussed.
