Revealed: The secrets of the 50ft robo-spider
By Nick Mcdermott and Liz Hull
As if it wasn't scary enough just clinging to the side of a building, this is Liverpool's 50ft spider going walkabout. Earlier in the week, the moving sculpture - part of the city's Capital of Culture celebrations - was suspended near to Lime Street station but yesterday it was roaming the streets.
And if it's true that the scariest thing about spiders is the way they move, then a few people in this 1,000-strong crowd must have been rather spooked. For while the 37-ton creature won't be seen scurrying along a skirting board any time soon, it can reach a top speed of 2mph on its articulated steel legs.La Princesse, as the spider is known, is a giant artwork by French company La Machine. It cost £1.8million to bring to the city.The steel and wood spider has sophisticated hydraulics which allow the dozen engineers strapped to its frame to operate its eyes, legs and abdomen.It will continue to inflict terror and awe on the citizens of Liverpool today. Those of a nervous disposition can breathe a sigh of relief tomorrow, when it will 'escape' down the Mersey Tunnel.
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