Gecko-Inspired, Robot Lemur May Work on the International Space Station

First Posted: Aug 17, 2015 03:42 PM EDT

NASA may have designed a gecko-inspired robot that could, in the future, help the International Space Station. In this latest study, researchers are working on the ultimate system of stickiness, inspired by geckos.

Geckos have tiny hairs on the bottom of their feet, which allow them to cling to walls with ease. This stickiness doesn't wear off with repeated usage, either. That's why scientists have used this concept to create a material with synthetic hairs that are much thinner than a human hair. When force is applied to make the tiny hairs bend, the material sticks to a desired surface.

Behind this sticky phenomenon is a concept called van der Waals forces. A slight electrical field is created because electrons orbiting the nuclei of atoms are not evenly spaced, so there are positive and negative sides to a neutral molecule. The positively charged part of a molecule attracts the negatively charged part of its neighbor, resulting in "stickiness." Even in extreme temperature, pressure and radiation conditions, these forces persist.

Now, researchers have created grippers that can support more than 150 Newtons of force, the equivalent of 35 pounds.

Researchers have more recently made three sizes of hand-operated "astronaut anchors," which could one day be given to astronauts inside the International Space Station. The anchors are made currently in footprints of one by four inches, two by six inches, and three by eight inches. They would serve as an experiment to test the gecko adhesives in microgravity for long periods of time and as a practical way for astronauts to attach clipboards, pictures and other handheld items to the interior walls of the station.

There are other applications for this stick material, as well. Currently, the researchers are testing the Lemur 3 climbing robot, which has gecko-gripper feet in simulated microgravity environments. The team thinks that possible applications could be to have robots like this on the space station conducting inspections and making repairs on the exterior.