Copying the Gecko's Feet

Land animals also have much to teach.
For example ,
the small lizard known as a gecko has the ability to climb walls and cling upside down on ceilings.
Even in Bible times , this creature was known for this
amazing capability. { Proverbs 30:28 }

What is the secret of the gecko's ability to defy gravity?

The gecko's ability to stick even to the glass - smooth surfaces comes from the tiny hair - like structures,
called setae , that cover it's feet.
The feet do not excude glue.
Rather they exploit a minute molecular force.
The molecules on the two surfaces bond to one another
because of very week attractive forces known as van der Waals forces.
Normally gravity easily overpowers these forces , which is why you cannot climb a wall simply by placeing your hands flat against it.
However the gecko's tiny setae increase the surface area in contact with the wall.
Van der Waals forces, when mutiplyed across the thousands of setae on the gecko's feet , produce enough attraction to hold the tiny lizard's weight.

What use may this discovery have ?
Synthetic materials made to imitate the gecko's feet could be used as an alternative to Velcro-- another idea borrowed from nature.*
* Velcro is a hook- and- loop fastening system based on the design found in the seeds of the burdock plant *

The journel The Economist quotes one researcher as saying that a material made from " gecko tape "
could be particularly usefull "in medical applications where chemical adhesives cannot be used."