Science: inspired by gecko.

A glue inspired by gecko feet

PTI | Feb 18, 2012, 06.30AM IST

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WASHINGTON: Researchers have developed a special glue which they claim can hold 318 kg on a smooth wall, after discovering how geckos produce an adhesive force equivalent to carrying 4kg up a wall without slipping.

A team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has published its findings on the 'Advanced Materials ' journal.

"Amazingly, geckofeetcan be applied and disengaged with ease, and with no sticky residue remaining on the surface," said team member Duncan Irschick, a morphologist who studied the gecko's climbing and clinging abilities for over 20 years.

These properties, high-capacity, reversibility and dry adhesion offer a tantalizing possibility for synthetic materialsthatcan easily attach and detach heavy everyday objects such as televisions or computers to walls, as well as medical and industrial applications, among others, he said.

"This combination of properties at these scales has never been achieved before. Our Geckskin device is about 16 inches square, about the size of an index card, and can hold a maximum force of about 318 kg while adhering to a smooth surface such as glass," Alfred Crosby, team member, said.
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