Tuesday, January 4, 2005

Geckos - not just for insurance sales anymore

Filed under: Nanomedicine

U.S. researchers have discovered the mechanism by which geckos keep their sticky feet continuously clean without grooming. The discovery should help with the development of adhesives that do not attract dirt, a possibly major advancement for common bandages.

"Our mathematical models suggest that self-cleaning in gecko setae is a result of geometry not chemistry," says Autumn. "This means that synthetic self-cleaning adhesives could be fabricated from a wide variety of materials. The possibilities for future applications of a dry, self-cleaning adhesive are enormous. We envision uses for our discovery ranging from nanosurgery to aerospace applications. Who knows-maybe a gecko-inspired robot with sticky, self-cleaning feet will walk on the dusty surface of Mars someday."

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