Hey, it's ... Gecko man, Gecko man, does almost whatever a GECKO can

A graduate student at Stanford has successfully climbed a 3.7-metre glass wall using a pair of super-sticky gloves modeled on the feet of gecko lizards. Youtube Video The kit was developed at the California university with funding from Uncle Sam's boffinry headquarters DARPA. The gloves are covered with 24 little sticky pads …

[Anonymous Blowhard]

Cat Burglars Union Objects to This!

Takes the skill out of the job.

[Evil Auditor]

"The pads are made of polydimethylsiloxane"

Sure. Now tell me, how many geckoes had to die?

[Anonymous Coward]

How many Geckoes had to die?

Approximately 5.3 pints, why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "The pads are made of polydimethylsiloxane"

" how many geckoes had to die?"

So does this mean I won't be saving 15% on my car insurance anymore?

[Anonymous Coward]

Russian Space Program Interested

They are very much into sending Gecko's spinning in space !

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/02/gecko_no_more_space_s_x_lizards_dead/

[Infernoz]

Glass, hmm..

Most buildings will have a lot of surfaces which are not glass or even clean smooth glass and the surfaces may not be able to take that much load! If I expected a visit like that, I'd add something to make the surfaces slippery or rough.

[CraPo]

Re: Glass, hmm..

"to climb almost any surface."

[K]

Re: Glass, hmm..

Agreed.. also the leg pulley was doing most of the work.. if you want to give a convincing demonstration it should be on a concrete surface, with the person literally hanging from it..

[ukgnome]

Re: Glass, hmm..

Don't be silly K

they only do that experiment with solvite wallpaper paste.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Glass, hmm..

Have a +1 sir for that blast from the past

[Sweep]

Re: Glass, hmm..

"the leg pulley was doing most of the work."

what are you dribbling about? For a start there isn't a leg pulley- the climber is moving a sticky pad up with a foot platform rigidly attached, then straightening his leg to gain height. His legs are doing most of (ideally all) the work. The pads are the only thing attaching him to the wall. If you're suggesting that the climber should be climbing up using arm-power alone then you have clearly never climbed (or prussicked up a rope...).

[Thecowking]

Is this the same as

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3322870/Gecko-lizards-inspire-Spiderman-gloves.html

Because it looks like it's 6 years later and pretty much what they said would be ready in 3 years.

Pretty fun stuff though, I expect it'll be useful on the ISS for tools and the like. And I personally would love that backing on posters.

[auburnman]

Even if they perfect the gripping operation so it is optimum for 'normal' building surfaces, I think they'll run into issues with the grip pads becoming clogged. Try it in the real world and the supergrip is bound to get clogged with dust and grit and become unable to make contact with the climbing surface. Possibly the next step in the technology will be 'switching off' the grip when it's not hugging a wall so crap doesn't accumulate.

[Thunderbird 2]

"Switching off the grip" is that anything like "reversing the polarity of the neutron flow" ?

[James Hughes 1]

Please be careful not to cross the streams.

['s water music]

Please be careful not to cross the streams.

Especially at a urinal, that can lead to some big misunderstandings I can tell you

damn you Post anonymously checkbox

[auburnman]

Don't be ridiculous. if we tried something like that we could end up looking at a Resonance Cascade failure!

[Anonymous Coward]

The gripping solution is mainly done by a simple angle of pressure applied to the palm/toe AFAIK in Geckos.

However a muscle type "expanding/contracting" application could work. Using air pressure or just moving parts (as some have done in the past).

It may be that the idea does not scale. There are no elephants hiding in the eves of houses see...

... though there were elephant sized Sloths, they used claws not sticking palms.

[David Roberts]

Personal risk?

Just had an image of needing a piss whilst wearing the gloves.

Some significant time later having to say

"No, no Officer it is the Gecko gloves - I just can't let go...."

[James 51]

No one else thinking of no more nails?

[Christoph]

But will it work for climbing the Cliffs of Insanity?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Christoph

"But will it work for climbing the Cliffs of Insanity?"

I think I'd trust a Spaniard with a rope more.

[earl grey]

Re: @Christoph

pissing up a rope? how absurd.

[Anonymous Coward]

Soon to be required equipment for pervs and stalkers everywhere!!

Just saying...