3 ms·
To me "Gecko" implies van der Waals forces[1] which this does not use. It just uses suction cups. The only Gecko part is a tail for balance/counter-force. [1]
by jonah 2y ago
To me "Gecko" implies van der Waals forces[1] which this does not use. It just uses suction cups. The only Gecko part is a tail for balance/counter-force.
[1] https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.192252799 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.192252799
- Animats 2y agoRight. I was expecting this to use the gecko grabbing system developed in Mark Cutkowsky's lab at Stanford. That's about fifteen years old now. Works, but applications have been few. Suction-based climbing robots are available as commercial products.[1] The biggest application of climbing robots is cleaning ships' hulls. That uses magnets for adhesion. It's a huge win, since hull-cleaning robots don't require a drydock. Some can even be used on ships under way. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvYTdKBnWdI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvYTdKBnWdI