hornworm

noun

Etymology: From horn + worm.

1. A caterpillar of a hawk moth that has a hornlike tail process.
2. Some moths in the genus Manduca of the hawk moth family Sphingidae.

   “The project, part of a wave of interest in life-imitating robotics, is a collaboration of seven Tufts faculty members from five departments in the schools of engineering and arts and sciences. Dr. Trimmer comes from the field of neurobiology, where he has been studying the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, since 1990.”