Carbon Nanotube Tape: Heavy-duty Approximator of Gecko Feet

Talk about sticky tape.

A group of scientists have come up with a tape that is a bunch of carbon nanotubes strung together to imitate gecko hair, one of the stickiest substances known to man. This tape is reusable and won’t dry out or suddenly start sliding off the wall, ceiling, or other interface.

Also, niftily enough, the tape can be pulled off perpendicular to a surface, not parallel to it. In fact, the bond in the event of the former is 10 pounds per square centimeter, which is quite a bit for some bit of tiny inspired bit of tape.

Those who follow progress in the nano era will not be surprised that some of the inventors of this substance are from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.