Submitted by Eric Daniel
Seems folk at the University of Akron are trying to take a page out of the gecko's wall climbing playbook (or at least its feet) by developing a form of adhesive tape that mimics the gecko's foot. Unlike conventional 100-mph tape, which uses a "glue like" chemical adhesive, the gecko tape derives its binding power through a self-generated electrostatic charge. The gecko's foot pads are covered with thousands of hairs which are, in turn, split into hundreds of smaller nano-hairs. The "gecko tape" mimics this through the use of setae, bundles of strong and flexible carbon nanotubes, which recreate the electrostatic charge.
Currently being developed for space applications, gecko tape isn't available to the general consumer yet, though no doubt, when it does come out, it will be just the thing for doing BDA repairs on the F-22 and F-35.
