Slashdot Mirror
Gecko Feet Inspire Hand-Held Spider-Man Paddles
ygslash (893445) writes DARPA is developing hand-held paddles that can be used to scale vertical walls. The adhesion technology employed in the paddles is based on Van der Waals force, inspired by the feet of certain species of geckos known for their excellent climbing ability. In a recent test, a man weighing almost 100 kg (220 lbs) and carrying a heavy pack that added about 23 kg (50 lbs) of additional weight, was able to scale a vertical glass wall almost 8 m (25 ft) high using the paddles. However, the paddles are reported to be 'not battlefield-ready yet.'
Are you sure you want to stick to that story?
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
There was also walking on water like some lizards and insects do, but no not quite similar.
Van der Waals force isn't exactly a myth though, just a job for materials science.
The problem with trying to USE Van der Waals forces for anything is that in order to stick together, both surfaces must be microscopically smooth; the sort of "smooth" that would make plate glass or mirrors look like "volcanic rock under a magnifying glass". "Reflecting telescope mirror" smooth. Making materials that smooth - and KEEPING them that smooth - is going to be a challenge.
As physics, it's pretty neat. From an engineering perspective, it's going to be a problem.
Not as such - as seen in the summary where geckos are mentioned. One side is made up of a LOT of very smooth surfaces of microscopic size which gets around the problem.
Which has been worked on for decades and is paying off now with a few different things - I think another is called "gecko tape".
Does 'not battlefield-ready yet' mean that grenades stick to the hand and won't let go? or mortar rounds, plane wings, tank tracks, pants...
The problem with trying to USE Van der Waals forces for anything is that in order to stick together, both surfaces must be microscopically smooth
Better not tell Geckos about that, they'll die out once they hear.