Scientists create strong, easy-on / easy-off "Gecko Tape"

In a simultaneous press release from the National Science Foundation and the University of California in Berkeley, researchers have announced a new adhesive based solely on the ability of geckos to climb most any surface without every getting stuck in place. Researchers developed tape containing millions of nanofibers that, when pulled across a surface, hold many time tighter than the average piece of tape. When the tape is pulled directly away from the surface, however, it is released freely.

Berkeley researchers spent several years studying the way geckos were able to climb and stick to surfaces with an easy release and hope that this new technology could be used in "a range of products, from climbing equipment to medical devices." (Press Release)

The only problem being worked out thus far, is the need to massage the tape into place, allowing the sides of the nanofibers -- the parts that do the actual sticking -- to make as much contact as possible before the tape begins to work.

The research team was "specifically tasked in 2003 with developing biologically-inspired synthetic gecko adhesives," by the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." (NSF.gov - NSF at a Glance)