Grab things like a Gecko: a new gripping system developed | Hacker News Reader

Grab things like a Gecko: a new gripping system developed

tribonet.org

29 pointstribonet10 comments

Quote from the paper:

> Conflict of interest statement: There will be a patent application on this gripper design by the Max Planck innovation.

Sorry, I'm missing it. Is there something strange or remarkable about that statement?

I'm a rock climber, and my first thought was "when will climbing shoes start advertising 'Gecko feet' in addition to Vibram rubber?" (Well, there's a fine line between refining your tools and cheating, which that would probably cross, but I still thought it.)

Based on the article, this looks like a system designed for machines requiring precision gripping, rather than for human use (although I'm not sure if that's just the use envisioned, or if there's some inherent limitation). Oh, well!

That's cool, but how many adhesion cycles does it last? One problem with these gecko-style adhesion systems is that eventually the hairs get clogged up with debris within a few cycles. This doesn't offer much advantage over regular sticky tape.

Another system was also recently developed: http://www.tribonet.org/cloning-geckos-toes-to-control-adhes.... They created a durable mold to replicate the surface of the Gecko's toe. They claimed that silicon wafer could be moved around with these surfaces. This one maybe more durable, although the results are not that well reported.

link to the study http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114.full

Thanks!

Informative diagram: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114/F2.l...

I've been hearing about gecko feet adhesives since the 80s. I wonder why it's never been commercialized.

Really neat tech. It would take a lot of trust to use it though. I don't see too many home or office applications, but it could be pretty useful in medical or industrial settings.

Gecko-based adhesives have been reported for like a decade, are any of them commercially available yet?

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