By: Kerry Flynn
The Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/21/gecko-inspired-gloves_n_6191728.html?utm_hp_ref=technology
Spiderman fans will be excited to hear that scientists have figured out how to scale walls like spiderman. A group of researchers have been working to try to find a way to have human beings walk on walls just as spiderman did. These researchers are from Stanford have developed a way to scale glass walls using pads attached to the person's hands. "The team is part of Stanford’s Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory, a research group that previously created vertically climbing robots. The inspiration behind the design was not actually Spider-Man, but the gecko, which is able to climb up a variety of surfaces using what are known as van der Waals forces" (Flynn,1). This team has created hexagon shaped pads that are about the size of ping pong paddles in order to replicate these electric forces. Then they covered them in tiny tiles made from a silicon material found in water repellant coatings. "Elliot Hawkes, the engineering graduate student who took the climb, said the sensation felt more like climbing with hooks than sticky tape. The adhesive tiles are able to attach and detach in just seconds. The speed of movement is limited by the climber's posture, not the adhesives, and researchers said they see potential in further optimizing the system" (Flynn,1). Mark Cutkosky says the intent of this is not to climb, though he has been approached by a rock climbing entrepreneur who is interesting in the project.
"For now, the team is more interested in the technology's potential ability to move large pieces of glass without much energy and without leaving residue. It's also collaborating with NASA to create adhesive-equipped robots for capturing space debris." (Flynn,1). This is a new step for technology.
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