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Gecko Adhesion

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Biomimetics

Part of the book series: Biological and Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering ((BIOMEDICAL))

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Abstract

The leg attachment pads of several animals including many insects, spiders, and lizards are capable of attaching to and detaching from a variety of surfaces and are used for locomotion, even on vertical walls or across the ceiling (Gorb, 2001; Bhushan, 2007). Biological evolution over a long period of time has led to the optimization of their leg attachment systems. This dynamic attachment ability is referred to as reversible adhesion or smart adhesion (Bhushan et al., 2006). Many insects (e.g., beetles and flies) and spiders have been the subject of investigation. However, the attachment pads of geckos have been the most widely studied due to the fact that they have the highest body mass and exhibit the most versatile and effective adhesive known in nature. As a result, most of this chapter will be concerned with gecko adhesion.

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  1. Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- and Nanotechnology and Biomimetics, Ohio State University, 201 West 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210-1142, USA

    Professor Bharat Bhushan

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  1. Professor Bharat Bhushan
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Bhushan, B. (2012). Gecko Adhesion. In: Biomimetics. Biological and Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25408-6_11

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