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Properties, Principles, and Parameters of the Gecko Adhesive System

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Biological Adhesives

Abstract

Current understanding of the adhesion system of geckos is the culmination of efforts by investigators throughout the biological and applied sciences. Continuing research in this area promises dividends in areas such as biomechanics, evolution, ecology, adhesive technology, and robotics. We describe here the key topics involved in the gecko adhesion system: the notable properties, the underlying physical principles, and the parameters that govern system performance. Additionally, we highlight the most important unresolved issues and propose productive directions related to gecko adhesion research and bioinspired engineering.

The designers of the future will have smarter adhesives that do considerably more than just stick. (Fakley 2001)

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to many colleagues for their help with this chapter, including Eduard Arzt, Sanford Autumn, Violeta Autumn, Emerson De Soma, Andrew Dittmore, Ron Fearing, Valeurie Friedman, Bob Full, Bill Geisler, Stas Gorb, Gerrit Huber, Jacob Israelachvili, Carmel Majidi, Anne Peattie, Holger Pfaff, Tony Russell, Andy Smith, and Simon Sponberg. Thanks to Stas Gorb and MPI Stuttgart for the Cryo-SEM image of a single seta. Thanks also to Carmel Majidi and Ron Fearing for Eqs. (11.1) and (11.2). Supported by DARPA N66001-03-C-8045, NSF-NIRT 0304730, DCI/NGIA HM1582-05-2022, and Johnson & Johnson Dupuy-Mitek Corp.

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  1. Department of Biology, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR, 97219-7899, USA

    Kellar Autumn

  2. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91767, USA

    Jonathan Puthoff

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  1. Department of Biology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Andrew M. Smith

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Autumn, K., Puthoff, J. (2016). Properties, Principles, and Parameters of the Gecko Adhesive System. In: Smith, A. (eds) Biological Adhesives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46082-6_11

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