Saturday, 31. August 2002
Topic: NATURE - on August 31, 2002 at 11:34:35 PM CEST
Geckos’ feet get sticky from static
US scientists have found the first experimental evidence that geckos use electrostatic forces - not capillary action - to walk safely across even very smooth ceilings. To compare the electrostatic and capillary theories, Kellar Autumn of Lewis and Clark College in Oregon and colleagues measured the shear forces exerted by geckos' toes on a variety of surfaces. The team's discovery that geckos employ Van der Waals forces in this way could now be exploited to develop a new generation of 'dry adhesives'
<a href="physicsweb.org"target="_blank">Take me 2 the GECKO
... Comment
