Kellar Autumn, biologist and professor at Lewis & Clark College, and other scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, including Mark Cutkosky, have developed a type of synthetic adhesive based on the kind of adhesion that geckos use on their feet. The tape is very strong and reusable and best of all does not leave behind any kind of residue. Autumn, an expert on geckos, says, "Geckos have millions of microscopic hairs on their toes, each with hundreds of tips that adhere to surfaces, with no residue left behind. Their hairs can stay attached indefinitely." In order for the adhesive to stick it must slide across the surface not just simply be pressed up against it. The plastic is not sticky itself rather when the millions of microscopic contacts work together they can stick to anything. They have also developed a "Stickybot" which is essentially a gecko robot. Unlike any other kind of robot it can climb up walls and move vertically. Curtkosky says "We are continuing to try to improve the dry adhesive itself, but independent from that; we are working on a new stickybot. Right now stickybot doesn't have any sensors, so if it's climbing and starting to get into trouble, it doesn't know that and may fall." The team thinks that the product is ready for development and that it could be seen in commercial products within the next 3 to 5 years.
(See NYTimes article here.)
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