Gecko feet hold clues to creating bandages that stick when
wet
(August 12, 2012) Scientists already know that the tiny hairs on geckos’ toe
pads enable them to cling, like Velcro, to vertical surfaces. Now, researchers
are unfolding clues to the reptiles’ gripping power in wet conditions in order
to create a synthetic adhesive that sticks when moist or on wet surfaces.
Place a single water droplet on the sole of a gecko toe, and the pad repels the water. The anti-wetting property helps explain how geckos maneuver in rainy tropical conditions. However, saturate that same toe pad in water or drench the surface on which it climbs, and adhesion slips away, the researchers say.