
Grab things like a Gecko: a new gripping system developed - tribonet
http://www.tribonet.org/grab-things-like-gecko/
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amelius
Quote from the paper:

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

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

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JadeNB
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!

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gene-h
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.

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tribonet
Another system was also recently developed: [http://www.tribonet.org/cloning-
geckos-toes-to-control-adhes...](http://www.tribonet.org/cloning-geckos-toes-
to-control-adhesion-and-friction/). 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.

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forgotmysn
link to the study
[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114.full](http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114.full)

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eternalban
Thanks!

Informative diagram:
[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114/F2.l...](http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1620344114/F2.large.jpg)

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

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bhhaskin
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.

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

