Scientists have long viewed the geckos’ remarkably grippy feet with envy and attempts to replicate that in the lab have actually yielded some success (like this one). The latest is Geckskin, which actually beats the performance of a real gecko’s feet! Instead of emulating the tiny hairs on the geckos’ feet, this one uses a stiff base layer to hold tension, and a soft gripping layer to conform to the irregularities in the surface it’s being stuck to. I don’t think the applications for this are quite so numerous…but for the right application, it’s a great material.
The video below gives some idea of how well this can hold to various surfaces.
(via Gizmag)