Gecko Adhesion as a Model System for Integrative Biology, Interdisciplinary Science, and Bioinspired Engineering: Video 3
Abstract
A video from the 2014 review by Kellar Autumn, Peter Niewiarowski, and Jonathan B. Puthoff, "Gecko Adhesion as a Model System for Integrative Biology, Interdisciplinary Science, and Bioinspired Engineering," from the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics.
Toe peeling (digital hyperextension) during climbing by a tokay gecko. The motion of gecko toes is superficially similar to that of peeling tape. However, because adhesion of gecko toes is governed by the micro-mechanics of their setae, a tape peeling model can be rejected (Autumn et al. 2006a). In contrast to the peeling of tape, gecko toes function by “frictional adhesion”: Pull-off forces increase linearly with shear load and detach when the angle of the resultant force exceeds 30° relative to the surface.