While the octopus is known for the remarkably dexterous grasping and manipulation abilities of its eight arms, the mechanisms by which they so effectively control their slender, flexible arms are not well understood. This award supports research with the aim to identify the strategies that an octopus uses to coordinate and control its soft arms. Using ultrasound imaging, the 3D motions of the arms will be measured and quantified. The measurements will be used to develop a model of the dynamics and kinematics of the arm movement and control, with the aim of developing a soft robotic arm with capabilities similar to the octopus. This research has the potential to provide new knowledge about complex arm motion, and develop the tools to translate this knowledge to controls for soft robotic arms. This project will also engage high school students through public outreach and participation in STEM camps. It will leverage the natural curiosity and enthusiasm evoked by the octopus to engage students and introduce them to bioinspired engineering at the intersection of biology and robotics. Overall, this project will advance our understanding and modeling of how the octopus is able to control its arms and translate that knowledge into improved control of soft robotic arms, which have numerous industrial, healthcare, defense and agriculture applications. This project will advance understanding of the dynamics of soft, fibrous structures. Through a novel application of ultrasound imagi