Robo-Gecko Climbs Glass

galactic_grub writes "Researchers at Stanford have developed a robot that mimics the extraordinary climbing skills of the Gecko. These creatures can climb sheer surfaces thanks to the intermolecular forces exerted by millions of tiny hairs their feet, called setae. The robot, Stickybot, has polymer pads on its feed with synthetic setae. Check out the video of it climbing up a sheet of glass."

Comments

A new weapon?

[Rendo]

They could be used as small weapons filled with say gas to knock people out. People would all be like, oh look a cool gecko-ooo ARRGGHHH *hack hack hack..... thud*

Obligatory

[Ajehals]

I for one welcome our van der Waals force utilising Stickybot overloards.

Seriously though, FTA "The Pentagon is interested in developing gecko-inspired climbing gloves and shoes." I want some of those, these if ever actually created (not sure what issues here would be but I assume mass, surface area and gravity would play in there somewhere) would have a huge impact on normal life. Just imagine the benefits to burglars, the next invention is going to have to be some very very slippery paint :)

Re:Obligatory

[Tackhead]

> I for one welcome our van der Waals force utilising Stickybot overlords.

...and I'd like to remind them that as an open-source HTML rendering engine, I could be useful in convincing people to save a bunch of money on their car insurance!

Re:Obligatory

[gijoel]

Seriously though, FTA "The Pentagon is interested in developing gecko-inspired climbing gloves and shoes."

At last I'll have something to go with my spider man underpants.

Re:Obligatory

[Fred_A]

That new paint would only be applied starting at 10m above the ground though.

Otherwise it wouldn't be much fun.

Re:The Article. Shocked this is new

[ErikZ]

I agree. I don't understand what's involved to make this possible, ego, it must be easy!

Build me one of them search engine thingies. We'll go up against Google!

Hmmm...

[frosty_tsm]

Could this become part of a Geico commercial?

Utility gecko

[neuro.slug]

Maybe it can climb their server racks to figure out what's causing the burning plastic smell.

Mirrors, anyone?

-- n

In other news....

[lottameez]

Several women at Stanford's Delta Sigma Theta sorority have reported sightings of strange reptilian creatures crawling around and affixing themselves to the exterior windows of their campus bathroom facilities. Sally Railmane, a sophomore at the school, described a strange light burst, similar to a camera flash, coming from the window creatures as she stepped out of the shower this afternoon. "It was creepy" she said.

University officials were unavailable for comment.

Re:The Article. Shocked this is new

[SurturZ]

I'd buy one, but I am sure the robo-gecko will be full of bugs.

Doomed

[Joebert]

Mark Cutkosky

Why, after seeing the mention of "Government" in that article, does that name look like Mark Cut Cost"-ky ?

Bad Plan, what are they thinking?

[JudgeFurious]

It's bad enough knowing that we're getting closer every day to the moment when robots decide that we're just too much damned trouble to keep around but do we have to keep developing new things to make them impossible to escape from? Anyone else see this and start connecting the slashdot articles?

  There was the one about the Japanese chick robot followed by the similar South Korean model, then a little farther back we have our artificial "muscle".

  Combine those with the story a year or so back about the robots that power themselves by digesting organic matter and frankly all my best nightmares start out on Slashdot. I'll probably be in my 60's when the sexy Japanese carnivorous wall climbing robots with super strength come to get me.

Power of the Gecko

[Kelson]

Not only can it render HTML, CSS, XML, SVG, W3C, MCP, MJB, DVD, BVD, and other TLAs, but it can climb walls, too!

I don't see that showing up in IE7! Hah!

Re:Power of the Gecko

[mcrbids]

Not only can it render HTML, CSS, XML, SVG, W3C, MCP, MJB, DVD, BVD, and other TLAs, but it can climb walls, too!

Not only that, but it could save you 15% or more on your auto insurance!

All you need...

[Nineteen.Eleven]

...is a radioactive spider and you too can climb walls.

Yes but...

[Anonymous Coward]

It may climb walls, but can it also save you thousands on car insurance?

You're nicked!

[AndroidCat]

How well does this stuff grip slippery surfaces like beer bottles or oiled/sweaty human skin? There might be some interesting applications for gloves if it does.

At Home Version

[nick_davison]

These creatures can climb sheer surfaces thanks to the intermolecular forces exerted by millions of tiny hairs their feet, called setae.

I, for one, can't wait for the "at home" version.

Finally...

[Pedrito]

I can finish making my "spidy" suit....

Re:my $0.02 (CDN) (BAD MODS)

[evilviper]

if i remember correctly, the climbing bit is achieved by a combination of friction (between all the little hair things, there is a rather lot of surface area when they all lay sideways) and static cling.

Didn't even bother to read the article, eh, my Candian friend?

"Each of these hairs is attracted to the wall by an intermolecular force called the van der Waals force, and this allows the gecko's feet to adhere."

It's not your comment that pisses me off, it's the fact that it got moderated up... BAD MODS! NO COOKIE!

Re:A common misconception about glass

[ArsenneLupin]

Consider - if you are a very clever person building a Cathedral with very large heavy glass windows of varying cross section, which end would you put at the bottom?

The thin end of course! This way, when glass inevitably will start flowing, it will have the effect of "evening out" the uneven thickness, rather than accentuating it further.