Residue-Free Adhesion Technology Inspired by Geckos

Innovation: Industry

Felsuma

2012

Image: Patrick Hendry / Unsplash / CC BY SA - Creative Commons Attribution + ShareAlike

Attach Temporarily

Living systems must sometimes, temporarily, stay in one place, climb or otherwise move around, or hold things together. This entails attaching temporarily with the ability to release, which minimizes energy and material use. Some living systems repeatedly attach, detach, and reattach for an extended time, such as over their lifetimes. Despite being temporary, these attachments must withstand physical and other forces until they have achieved their purpose. Therefore, living systems have adapted attachment mechanisms optimized for the amount of time or number of times they must be used. An example is the gecko, which climbs walls by attaching its toes for less than a second. Other examples include insects that attach their eggs to a leaf until they hatch, and insects whose wings temporarily attach during flight but separate after landing.

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Protect From Dirt/solids

When dirt and other small solids adhere to living systems, they can slow them down, create blockages, reduce their ability to carry out vital functions, or cause surface wear and tear. Due to electrostatic forces, it’s easy for dirt and other solids to adhere to surfaces, so living systems must overcome those forces. An earthworm, for example, uses a small electric current to keep soil particles from adhering to its body as it moves through the soil. This enables it to move more efficiently by reducing drag.

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Patents

Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature

In this picture book, young readers meet ten real-life scientists, engineers, and designers who learn from plants and animals to create amazing new technologies.

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Geckskin from Felsuma is an adhesive technology that mimics the tendon system of geckos to create a strong adhesive that leaves no residue.

Benefits

Reduced waste
Reusable
Residue-free

Applications

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

The Challenge

Adhesives are used in every industry and are a constant part of everyday life. However, traditional adhesives are single-use and often use a strong glue that can leave a sticky residue once removed.

Innovation Details

Geckskin™ is a technology, not a material. A Geckskin device can be made from an array of commercially available materials on commercial manufacturing equipment to address an application. Geckskin utilizes a phenomenon called ‘draping adhesion’, which mimics the skin-bone-tendon system of gecko feet to create a powerful adhesion device that leaves no residue. It is composed of two components, a soft elastomer and a stiff fabric. Together, the material can conform to a surface while maintaining high elastic stiffness.

Illustration of GeckSkin™ technology and its similarities to the skin-bone-tendon structure of gecko feet. Photo: Felsuma.

Biological Model

Geckos are renowned for their sticky feet that enable them to climb a variety of surfaces. However, the tendon and bone structures behind the feet are just as important, and they help to maximize the gecko’s ability to stick. In most animals, soft tendons directly connect bones to muscles. However, in geckos’ feet, the tendons are stiff and stretch from the bone to the skin- all the way to the underside of the feet. This helps to stiffen the feet and evenly distribute forces, making it easier for the gecko to stick.

See Related Strategy

Biological Strategy

Feet Are Super Sticky but Don’t Get Dirty

Tokay gecko

Feet of the tokay gecko use atomic forces to stick to surfaces, but stay clean by flinging contaminants off toes.

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