In the course of evolution nature has arrived at startling materials solutions to ensure
survival. Investigations into biological surfaces, ranging from plants, insects and geckos to …

Geckos are remarkable in their ability to reversibly adhere to smooth vertical, and even
inverted surfaces. However, unraveling the precise mechanisms by which geckos do this …

Nature provides a rich source of information for the design of novel materials; yet there
remain significant challenges in the design and manufacture of materials that replicate the …

Remarkable progress has been made characterizing one of nature's most integrated,
hierarchical structures––the fibrillar adhesive system of geckos. Nonetheless, we lack an …

Bioinspiration and biomimetics is a rapidly growing field where insights from biology are
used to solve current design challenges. Nature provides an abundance of inspiration to …

Geckos show versatility by rapidly maneuvering on diverse complex terrain because they
benefit from their distributed, setae-covered toes and thus have the ability to generate …

Fibrillar adhesives composed of fibers with non-circular cross-sections and contacts,
including squares and rectangles, offer advantages that include a larger real contact area …

Many climbing animals use direction-dependent adhesives to attach to vertical or inclined
surfaces. These structures adhere when activated via a pull but detach when pushed …

Among geckos, the acquisition of the adhesive system is associated with several
morphological changes of the feet that are involved in the operation of the adhesive …

Periodic and symmetric two-dimensional textures with various cross-sectional profiles have
been employed to improve and optimize the physical response of the surfaces such as drag …