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Gecko gimmicks

INSPIRED: Amazing grip. PHOTO: REUTERS

Just one metre square of a new super-sticky material inspired by gecko feet could suspend the weight of an average family car, say its inventors. Researchers at aerospace and defence firm BAE Systems have developed the plastic, known as Synthetic Gecko. Like the reptile's foot, the polymer is covered with millions of tiny mushroom-like hairs that provide grip. Future applications could include an adhesive to repair aircraft, skin grafts or even a Spiderman-style suit. "It would mean that your local window cleaner could dispense with his ladders and climb up the side of your house," says Dr Sajad Haq, a principal research scientist at the company's Advanced Technology Centre in Filton, Bristol.

COMPLIED BY ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN

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