Having found an easy way to climb like a spider

A team of researchers at Stanford University (USA) has recently developed a new way to help people climb easily to high-rise buildings like "spiders".

The new method uses a pad attached to the human hand, simulating the special climbing ability of the gecko on different surfaces thanks to a special force called Van der Waals.

Van der Waals forces are simply a kind of gravity between two molecules.

Physicists have known about the type of force called Van der Waals for decades, but studying this type of force rarely goes beyond small scale. Van der Waals forces are simply a kind of gravity between two molecules. This force is not caused by covalent bonds or ionic bonds that are formed by the polarization of molecules into electric dipoles.

To recreate this kind of force, the research team at Stanford University created a hexagonal pad sized the size of a table tennis racket with 24 layers of adhesive.

They then wrap it up with a layer of artificial material called polydimethylsiloxane (also known as silicon rubber ), which is a kind of silicon material commonly found in waterproof coatings on some objects.

The structure of the gecko.

Like the gecko's feet, these layers are also made of ultra-small nanofibers, creating a large surface area that makes the pads strong enough to allow good adhesion on the surface. glasses. At the same time, the flexible stretch unit in the back will also help distribute weight better during the load of human weight.

At the same time, the pad is also attached to the transmission cable to a firm resting mattress at the bottom of the climber. This can make it easier for climbers to rebalance and change their climbing position.

Ellito Hawkes, a graduate student in engineering at Stanford, describes how it feels to climb on a glass surface that uses this pad as if climbing on a hook rather than using adhesives. According to his description, the adhesive layers on the lining can be fastened and detached within a few seconds.

Describe the structure of the cushion.

Even so, the movement speed is somewhat limited by the tight posture. However, this is only the initial experiment and scientists are still hoping for great potential in the study of this technology in the future.

Reportedly, the research team at Stanford University announced their new work in the past week in the journal of the Royal Society (JRS). The work is a collaboration between researchers at Stanford University and the US Department of Defense's senior defense research department (DARPA).

Earlier this summer, the US Department of Defense also introduced a similar type of climbing technology, but the details of that technology are still being kept private.

Reference: Geek