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Posted by: Miri Nov 7 2011, 02:45 PM

http://www.gizmag.com/bioinspired-adhesive-tape-kiel/20406/

Nifty.

Posted by: hobgoblin Nov 7 2011, 03:14 PM

som a 20x20cm patch can hold up a human. Seems one can create some kind of climbing kit from that stuff. Or use it to hang up posters and such

Posted by: Miri Nov 7 2011, 03:38 PM

Wonder how long it will take till someone trusts their 56inch plasma tv to this tape?

Posted by: Draco18s Nov 7 2011, 03:43 PM

Then there's the metamaterials that can hide space-time events, the 1-wheeled motorcycle, the rapid-charge batteries...

Yeah, the future is now.

Posted by: Draco18s Nov 7 2011, 03:43 PM

About 8 minutes.

Posted by: hobgoblin Nov 7 2011, 05:59 PM

Well, first one use to attach less fragile objects to the wall and see how long they stick (heh) around...

Posted by: Draco18s Nov 7 2011, 06:28 PM

The real question is:

How long before someone attaches the stuff to the wheels of a dune buggy and drives up the side of a building?

Posted by: TheOOB Nov 8 2011, 08:58 AM

They'll also be the first person to realize that car engines are not designed to operate at a 90' incline. I wouldn't want my engine to break down halfway up.

Posted by: hobgoblin Nov 8 2011, 11:17 AM

Dunno, the major issue would be carburetor vs direct injection. Remember, they used piston powered fighter planes in WW2 with great success once the British switched to fuel injectors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire#Carburettor_versus_fuel_injection

Posted by: Irion Nov 8 2011, 11:38 AM

Which would be not the worst of their problems. Wheels tend to turn and there will be dirt on the surface....

Thats one of those instances where going from the laboratory to real life equals horrible death.

Posted by: Dahrken Nov 8 2011, 12:25 PM

Don't forget lubrification. Your typical 4-strokes car engine will quickly run dry if tilted. Fighter engines often used dry-sump design, but this is much less common in car engines.

Posted by: hobgoblin Nov 8 2011, 01:39 PM

Point taken.

Posted by: Draco18s Nov 8 2011, 02:35 PM

An electric dune buggy.

Also.

Or did you forget that gecko tape doesn't hold onto dirt? It's designed to be used "thousands of times" without losing adhesiveness.

Posted by: Irion Nov 8 2011, 02:54 PM

@Draco18s
This would not be the point...
The problem is that your effectiv surface (beeing horribly small with tires to begin with) will be further reduced by the "dirty surface". (Here you do not have gecke tape on wall, rather geckotape on dirt on wall. Weakest link, you know...

Than of course you have a very bad angle for the force. (It is hard to pull two objects glued together away from each other but it is much easyier to turn them etc.)

Posted by: Draco18s Nov 8 2011, 03:01 PM

Also, by the way:

Question regarding feasibility: nonexistent.
Question regarding someone dumb enough to try: unanswered.

Posted by: hobgoblin Nov 8 2011, 04:42 PM

Perhaps we could replace tires with tracks made of this stuff?

Posted by: Miri Nov 8 2011, 05:57 PM

Given some of the truly stupid things I've seen people do on TV and on YouTube.. Someone Will Try It.