Scientists from the US managed to make innovative invention – “gecko gloves”. The name of the invention is obtained thanks to a small lizard, which has a very unusual texture of the skin. Study skin geckos and allowed scientists to create technology Spider-Man allow you to attach to a smooth surface such as glass.
Wearing gloves, any sufficiently strong and hardy people can move on a vertical surface. However, it concerns only the glass, anyway – yet. Theoretically, the technology can be fixed to allow the metal and plastic, but until such tests involving people did not pass.
DOD will help a man to gain the ability of Spider-Man
On those tests that were, graduate students, participated in the development of the project, succeeded in using gloves gecko climb the glazing surface to a height of 3.6 meters. Rise was discontinued due to safety reasons, as the work proceeded without insurance.
The secret of the technology – in small hairs, the thickness of only a few microns. Each of them is woven from even smaller. At the end of each such filament include a flat portion which, when in contact with the surface and the forces applied thereto, the simplest chemical reaction occurs. As a result, the separated material can be adhered only by applying a force.
It is so arranged and lizard skin, the only difference is that in the “natural” version, the load on the villi are not evenly distributed, which makes the quality of contact – is worse. Scientists have modified the “technology”, bringing to stay on weight, on a flat surface, you can even on one hand.
Apply this technology is not so much hope in the construction, as in space Spider-Man, but perhaps in the near future, like gloves and boots will give builders and installers.
