
A team of Stanford University students has developed an adhesive inspired by the gecko lizard that allow humans to scale glass walls during a vertical ascent.



Elliot Hawkes conceived this idea as part of a dissertation project. The idea quickly escalated into a breakthrough invention that spread excitement beyond the mechanical engineering department at Stanford University.



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Hawkes and his team consisting of colleagues from different disciplines formulated an adhesive that enables a person to climb vertical walls like Spider-Man. This adhesive possesses properties similar to a gecko's ability to stick to walls.



Scientists have been trying to develop this technology for years. Hawkes, however, successfully addressed issues such as functionality and ease of control of the material.



Co-author of the study Eric Eason said the adhesive works like a gecko's feet. First, the pad touches the surface using only its tips. This means the pad won't stick.



But when a load is forced upon the pad, the wedges turn over and come in contact with the surface, creating a unique adhesion force.



These pads have been attached to gloves. Many fans of Spider-Man will be interested in this type of technology, allowing them to climb and scale walls.



The team also wants to offer this technology for more practical purposes in the field of science.



According to study co-author Mark Cutkosky, these adhesive gloves can be used for building robots that can lift large glass panels or crystal displays. The team is already working with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to apply this adhesive to the robotic arms of spacecraft to push space debris toward the Earth's atmosphere to burn up.



The adhesive gloves can support 200 pounds. Hawkes said that increasing its size can allow it to carry a massive load up to 2,000 pounds.



This study was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.




TagsStanford Students Create Gecko Gloves to Climb Walls Like Spider-Man, Stanford University, stanford gecko gloves adhesive climb walls spider man