Passive surface grasping mechanism using directional adhesives

Stanford researchers have designed and successfully tested two prototype dynamic surface grasping devices. These devices use opposed pairs of gecko-inspired directional adhesives to attach to any smooth surface. They require very little energy for attachment and detachment, work on many surfaces, can undergo many attach/release cycles and can be scaled to either small or large applications. Dynamic surface grasping is applicable to landing of micro air vehicles (MAVs) and to grappling objects in space. It can also be used for climbing robots, toys, or any application requiring frequent attachment and detachment from smooth surfaces.

Stage of Research