We’ve created a material that allows you to climb walls in Spider-Man style, and it’s all thanks to these creepers

Nature as a source of technological inspiration: a poster based on gecko skin

They are animals that remind us of their extinct relatives on some occasions and that also have their place in mythology. The gecko, one of the animals banned as pets, is the basis of the experiment that was created Synthetic leather With amazing properties. Professor Mark Cutkosky, member of the Stanford Universityone of the protagonists of this new adhesive that allows Replicate the ability of geckos to attach.

New video! How artificial gecko skin allows you to climb walls:https://t.co/P1NTybVKxr pic.twitter.com/s5PIUrm7Ym

—Derek Mueller (veritasium) January 25, 2023

At the moment, as you can see in the video that we show you on these lines, the adhesive He is curious grasp Weights are important if they are set down the face, but removes stickiness when placed in reverse position. The team of researchers tested this adhesive to make robots capable of it grab things or even strength pull Large weights, as it can be in the case car. Funniest case? Can Turn anyone into Spider-Man.

The competition to get a robot to climb a vertical wall without any kind of suction was the impetus for this remarkable discovery. We are Stickers based on the skin of a gecko They are very special. Unlike traditional adhesive, this material does not stick to the surface unless it can Grasp from the central part. This is a key point. To climb a wall, if the surface of the robot is sticky, the effort to traverse the path will be enormous. However, the The ability of this adhesive to not stick Concept conversion.

So copy a file Gecko skill, whose legs grab but do not stick, is a discovery that has made it easier to create robots that are able to climb without having to use suction elements. explanation? It’s not simple, but we can sum it up in that at fingers gecko The so-called spoons are hiddenIt is visible on a microscopic scale. thanks to them The attraction between surface atoms and their legs he is in balance So a light, which is able to hold the animal, while letting it move as it pleases. Again, nature teaches us that not everything is invented.