Gecko Tape
A few years ago, scientists discovered that geckos do not use any type of glue or adhesive to walk up walls. This is possible because millions of tiny hairs on the gecko foot adhere to the wall through Van Der Waals forces, which are basically small attractions between molecules that are close together. The small forces add up over the millions of hairs, creating a very strong bond.
Since this discovery, scientists have been working vigorously on creating a tape or glue which mimics this method. A recent prototype shows that a tiny square (2cm) of this material can hold up to a pound of weight.
At some point, we will probably see some useful new ‘tape’ for hanging posters (and paintings) on walls from this innovation, and maybe even some far-out science-fiction stuff like suits for climbing walls.
