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Gecko-Inspired Dry Adhesive Set For Space
Posted by
timothy
on Thu Apr 09, 2009 03:11 PM
from the for-all-your-sticking-to-stuff-needs dept.
from the for-all-your-sticking-to-stuff-needs dept.
AndreV writes "Biomimetic adhesives aren't new, but a PhD graduate in British Columbia has developed a new method of creating microscopic, mushroom-like plastic structures in order to produce a dry adhesive that mimics the stickiness of gecko feet—and is prepping his glue-free innovation for outer space. A research group at his university, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, is engineering a spider-like, sticky-footed climbing robot destined to explore Mars, and it is also developing reusable attaching systems for astronauts to use where magnetic and suction systems generally fail. In the future, he says, single-use versions could be used in any number of medical applications as well as for replacements for everyday sticky needs, such as Post-It notes and Scotch tape."
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Hardware: Robo-Gecko Climbs Glass 143 comments
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Science: Scientists Developing Commercially Viable Synthetic Gecko 122 comments
Gordon from Seattle writes to mention a CNN article about a new way to hang out. A British aerospace team is working on a super-sticky substance they're calling "Synthetic Gecko". It mimics the hairs on a gecko's foot, and may eventually be developed as a reusable adhesive. From the article: "Each of the microscopic setae on a gecko's foot has a mushroom shaped cap on the end, less than one-thousandth of a millimeter across. This ensures that the gecko's foot is in very close contact with the surface beneath. The cumulative attractive force, called van der Waals force, of these setae allows the lizard to scurry up walls and ceilings, and even hang from polished glass surfaces. In 2003 scientists at the University of Manchester produced a one centimeter patch of 'gecko tape,' but neither the University of Manchester nor University of California teams managed to produce the material in a greater quantity, unlike Haq and Sargent, who have already tested areas larger than 10 centimeters-squared."
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Just you wait... (Score:2, Funny)
sweet (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:sweet (Score:4, Interesting)
A friend of mine studied this stuff for his Ph.D research. It's the molecular-level adhesive force between the Gecko's feet and the surface that allows it to cling. That force is relatively-weak but when multiplied by a few million "pads" on the foot, it's strong enough to let a lizard climb up a wall. Or a robot.
Parent
Dust (Score:3, Insightful)
Mars is probably quite a dusty place.
NOT what you think (Score:4, Funny)
If you RTFA you will see that this new adhesive is not based on the nano-scale properties of gecko feet, but is the first space adhesive that doubles as a delightful gecko-flavored paste in emergencies.
Re:NOT what you think (Score:5, Funny)
Bwahaha, you can't get me to read TFA that easily!
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Why shuld I read TFA whan I dont bother reading my own posts?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Why shuld I read TFA whan I dont bother reading my own posts?
Don't worry, we don't bother reading your posts either.
I wonder why my fingers are sticky! (Score:2, Interesting)
You know, I hate it when my fingers feel sticky, even if they really aren't "sticky" in that stuff that I pick up stays stuck. You touch the backside of a post-it, and then for a little while they are sticky afterward. Or you touch scotch tape, and same thing - the fingers are just tacky and it feels weird in a fingers-down-the-blackboard sort of way.
There is no way I'd want to be in Space and have to touch this stuff, and then not be able to get it off by washing my hands. I prefer to get my fingers sticky
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
magnetic (Score:3, Interesting)
It's obvious that suction wouldn't work in space, but why would magnetic stickers fail?
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
It's obvious that suction wouldn't work in space, but why would magnetic stickers fail?
You're trying to stick to plastic?
Re: (Score:2)
Non-ferromagnetic metals or plastic.
Re:magnetic (Score:5, Funny)
Magnetic stickers only work on refrigerators. Since it's colder on the outside of the space station, you can only use them on the inside.
Parent
Re:magnetic (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:magnetic (Score:5, Insightful)
Someone needs to collect all the scientific knowledge expressed in slashdot posts, and write a text book. Why hide this useful archive of scientific truths in obscure blog posts when we can use it to illuminate the minds of the children?
Parent
Re:magnetic (Score:5, Funny)
I am SO going to screw her up for elementary school science classes.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
My 8 year old asked why you can't divide by 0. Said her teacher told her that she shouldn't do that but now she wants to know why she shouldn't do it. Sigh. I showed her divide by zero error on a calculator. /damn my art school (won't need math for this degree!) drop out education (even art school has homework requirements)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Ah, this is perfect. Totally makes sense, compared to that far off high school algebra class, back in the early '80's. I mean, you'd think a football coach who'd played for the Browns would also be a decent math teacher, wouldn't ya!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
2/0=inf.
3/0=inf.
2/0=3/0
Multiply by zero:
2=3
If you can divide by zero, numbers make no sense. That's amazing you say, has somebody ever tried to divide by zero and did bad things happen as a result?
Yes, do you remember the banking crisis of 2008, that's when 1 tiny bank accidentally divided by zero. Through the internet this ofcourse rapidly spread and soon numbers made no sense. Because they made no sense, the virtual money indicator flipped to negative. That's why your house has lost 50% of its value.
The m
Re:magnetic (Score:4, Insightful)
You explained to her she shouldn't do something because a machine can't do it either?
I'd use the good-old-pie-fractions example. Take a pie. Divide it into two parts, explain that's dividing by two.
Cut it again, so it's four parts. Explain you divided it by four.
Cut twice more and ask how many pieces there are (that's how many you divided by).
Now, give her the knife, and ask her to divide it into zero parts. Explain that's why she can't divide by zero... no matter how many times you cut, no matter how you approach it, you cannot end up with zero parts.
Then, eat the pie and play fractions games with each piece.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If there are 6 apples, and everyone gets two, how many people can share the apples? Three people. What if they can only have one apple? Then six people can share the apples.
What if nobody can have any of the apples? Then nobody can share the apples, but the apples don't get eaten. That's why you can't divide by zero: the apples never get used up. In fact, you could have a hundred people, or a thousand, or as many as you want, and every one of them won't get an apple... and there will still be six apples.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Division asks how many of the second number it takes to equal the first number.
I've never thought about division this way. That actually makes sense!
Cool!
Re: (Score:2)
The easy way to do that would've been to have given her a funny name. For example:
Alison Wanda or Ivana Mandy or just Siloh.
It would be even better if you could make it work with your surname, the way Jack Abramoff works well.
Re: (Score:2)
It's obvious that suction wouldn't work in space, but why would magnetic stickers fail?
Who said they would fail? An additional way to stick one thing to another is still going to be useful.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I know it's slashdot and we don't read TFA here, but at least read TFS.
it is also developing reusable attaching systems for astronauts to use where magnetic and suction systems generally fail
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Useful Lifespan? (Score:2, Insightful)
A "sticky-footed climbing robot destined to explore Mars" makes it sound like this thing may see use on the ground. I'm curious how they plan to deal with dust and debris collecting on the pads.
They say "dirt particles can easily fall off the edge of the fibres", but I don't understand how a solution like this can be selective about what it sticks to.
Re:Useful Lifespan? (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
A "sticky-footed climbing robot destined to explore Mars" makes it sound like this thing may see use on the ground. I'm curious how they plan to deal with dust and debris collecting on the pads.
Katamari Damacy on Mars?
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Same way Geckos do.
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As long as it stays in the trees, and away from the white apes, it should be good.
What next? (Score:3, Funny)
A spider monkey inspired car horn set for space? A webkit inspired grapling hook set for space? Oh, the joy of open source browsers.
For the environment (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
yea, that's what I was doing. Studying nature. Hidden knowledge and all that. Until they closed the curtains.
Medical? (Score:3, Funny)
What sort of medical applications make use of post-it notes? Maybe it will hold an incision closed, but that floppy tag of paper is just too much for most prople to ignore.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Especially when your laceration has a shopping list on it. Maybe we can put the care instructions on the Post-It?
Re:Medical? (Score:4, Funny)
What sort of medical applications make use of post-it notes?
Ones where the surgeon has more than one thing to do to you before stitching you shut?
Parent
sticking to spaceships... (Score:2, Funny)
So easy, a caveman could do it!
Silent Velcro. (Score:2)
Yay Gecko Tape! (Score:3, Funny)
Ever since some years ago we read on /. that they had discovered the secret behind geckos' amazing abilities, I've been waiting for practical applications of this in the form of gecko tape and the soon-to-follow gecko shoes and gloves.
Glad to see that they'll be using it in space soon, guess that means it'll only be a matter of time before I can get it at Home Depot. In the meantime, whenever I want something stuck to the wall, I just tie it to a gecko and then let the gecko do the sticking for me. Tough part is keeping them in one place, but ironically a little traditional glue does the job nicely. The other problem is I can only put things out of the reach of my cat...
Re: (Score:2)
In which case, you're using glue anyway.
I find it's much simpler to use a staple gun to affix the geckos to the wall.
I use the staples made for insulated wire, otherwise the staples go right through 'em and all you have to show for it is a perforated gecko twitching on the floor... which is the same result as within-reach-of-the-kitty gluing.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Now where's the Webkit-Inspired adhesive?
Doesn't Webkit beat Gecko?
After testing failed... (Score:2)
Bat adhesive, Gecko adhesive found to stick well in space.
Also need a Gecko tongue (Score:3, Insightful)
Ziggy Played Guitar (Score:2)
A research group at his university, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, is engineering a spider-like, sticky-footed climbing robot destined to explore Mars
Aha! David Bowie was just a visionary...The Spiders of Mars are on their way!
Re: (Score:2)