Gecko

In various types of manufacturing, parts are picked and placed using graspers or suction cups. The former can damage fragile items, however, while the latter won't work in vacuums. That's why scientists have developed a new material that utilizes the same principle as gecko feet.

Scientists in Australia are looking at the manner in which a particular type of gecko is able to stay clean. Their findings could pave the way for things like water-repelling electronics, or clothes that never need washing.

NASA wants to use the unreal gripping power of gecko feet to reach out and grab space junk in orbit. The technology has already been successfully tested under weightless conditions.

Four years ago, we heard about how Stanford scientists were developing a gecko-inspired system that would allow humans to climb up vertical surfaces. Now, DARPA has announced the first successful demonstration of that system, known as Z-Man.

A couple of years ago, we first heard about a gecko-inspired reusable adhesive known as Geckskin. Now, its creators have announced a new version that works better on rough surfaces, such as drywall and wood.

Unlike adhesive tape, gecko's feet retain their sticky qualities even after many, many uses. Now, thanks to research being conducted at Carnegie Mellon University and Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, we may one day be using self-cleaning reusable gecko-inspired tape.

Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley have adapted a small six-legged robot to perform an evasive maneuver used by cockroaches.

The super-adhesive "Geckskin" can stick a 700-pound load to the wall without leaving a sticky residue.

With inspiration from nature, researchers have created a new dry adhesive tape that is not only boasts impressive adhesive strength, but can also be attached and detached thousands of times without losing its adhesive properties.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University Burnaby (SFU) claim to be the first to apply the gecko's wall-climbing technique to a robot that operates like a tank.

Scientists studying the properties of different types of setae on ceiling-climbing insects have found that the different forces required to peel away these adhesive hairs from surfaces are what allows beetles to adhere to diverse surfaces.

Inspired by the gecko’s ability to stick to any kind of surface and easily un-stick itself, engineers have developed a new reversible adhesion stamp that can print an array of electronic devices and onto a diverse range of surfaces.