Gecko-inspired adhesive sticks TVs to walls, holds up to 700lbs

There may come a day when mounting a fancy new flat screen TV to your living room wall is as simple as pulling out some double-sided tape. Well, that’s if the double-sided tape is made from Geckskin, an advanced super adhesive that can carry a 700-pound load using only an index card-sized piece. Plus, it leaves no residue on your wall.

The Geckskin has been developed by a team of scientists studying and replicating the amazing adhesion abilities of geckos. The little toes on geckos have millions of microscopic hair-like setae that cause attraction and repulsion at the molecular level. But it’s more than the setae that create the incredible adhesion.

The research team, which include polymer scientists and biologists observed that the padding, bones, and tendons of the gecko work in unison to create the strong stickiness. Hence, with Geckskin, they’ve developed a stiff woven fabric that incorporates a soft adhesive pad woven into a synthetic tendon.

Funded by DARPA, the project has already been able to demonstrate a 16-square-inch piece of material holding up a 42-inch TV. It’s actually capable of holding a much greater load than that, as much as 700 pounds. The stickiness even works on smooth glassy surfaces and yet can be peeled away with little effort, leaving no residue.

Although the advanced material won’t be heading to the adhesives aisle of your local hardware store anytime soon, it certainly is an exciting development that makes those death-defying wall scaling scenes such as in the latest Mission Impossible flick seem closer to reality.

[via GizMag]