The group also mimicked the T-shaped structure found on each urchin tooth. They found that teeth with these structures called keels "experienced 16 percent less stress than teeth without keels when subjected to a 10-pound load." It took them three tries to get the right design, 3D printing each one for testing. The team attached the final product to a small remote-controlled rover and had it scoop up dirt that has the same density as Martian soil.

They believe the claw is a more effective solution than shovels for collecting sediments on moons and other planets, as it doesn't disturb a big part of the surface. If NASA or private companies like SpaceX are interested, the researchers envision tiny rovers roaming other worlds and scooping up dirt to bring back to a bigger, main vehicle.