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I see new batch of climbing shoes coming!

Original Post
amarius · · Nowhere, OK · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 20

Stanford University created Climbing Bot

Internet wrote:The secret is in the adhesives on the robots' feet. Their design is inspired by geckos, which have climbing skills that are legendary in the animal kingdom. The adhesives are covered in minute rubber spikes that grip firmly onto the wall as the robot climbs. When pressure is applied, the spikes bend, increasing their surface area and thus their stickiness. When the robot picks its foot back up, the spikes straighten out again and detach easily
FourT6and2 ... · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 45

I saw a show on Discovery or Science or something about this years ago.

If you Google a close up image of a gecko's foot, you'll see the wavy flaps that flatten out when directional force is applied. It's pretty cool stuff. Basically, it's not really "sticky" like an adhesive. It's more along the lines of increased frictional/sheering forces.

Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492

What's the body weight:foot surface area ratio of a gecko? I imagine a human climber would need something like snowshoe-sized feet to take advantage of that "technology".

jacob m s · · Provo, Utah · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 135

You could make a ghetto version of this on your climbing shoes with just a razor blade and a lot of patience. If you cut thousands of tiny lines in your shoes to make rubber "hairs". If you did it with a small laser you could get a pretty grippy shoe, but you would have to place your shoe, lock it, make your move, unlock your shoe, and then you could move your foot. A) that sounds like a pain, B) i don't think you would get more then 2 or 3 pitches before the "hairs" would have to be replaced.

Craig T · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 0
jacob m s wrote:i don't think you would get more then 2 or 3 pitches before the "hairs" would have to be replaced.
This is one of the chief problems when doing any sort of biomimicry - animals can grow back their cool nanostructures that let them climb/sense/etc, but the human-built version will be subject to wear & tear.
jacob m s · · Provo, Utah · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 135

Yeah, mother nature is still one upping us in a lot of technologies.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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