Metamaterials generate gecko-like adhesive force
January 18, 2012
Gecko toes and their optical analog (a), gecko toes sticking to a smooth glass wall (b). Artist's impression of a metamaterial film attracted by a beam of light to a dielectric surface. (Credit: J. Zhang et al.)
Physicists predict that metamaterials ought to generate an entirely new kind of force that can be turned on and off with the flick of a switch, Technology Review Physics arXiv Blog reports.
John Zhang and colleagues at the University of Southampton predict that a powerful optical force can exist between a metal or dielectric plate and a metamaterial, a substance with optical properties that have been engineered to control light in specific ways.
Ref.: John Zhang et al., Metamaterial ‘Gecko Toe’: Optically-Controlled Adhesion to Any Surface, arxiv.org/abs/1201.2801