Dry adhesives inspired from climbing animals, such as geckos and spiders, rely on van der Waals forces to attach to the opposing surface. Biological fibrillar dry adhesives have a hierarchical structure closely resemb...Dry adhesives inspired from climbing animals, such as geckos and spiders, rely on van der Waals forces to attach to the opposing surface. Biological fibrillar dry adhesives have a hierarchical structure closely resembling a tree： the surface of the skin on the animal＇s feet is covered in arrays of slender micro-fibrils, each of which supports arrays of fibrils in submicron dimensions. These nano-meter size fibrils can conform closely to the opposing surfaces to induce van der Waals interaction. Bioinspired dry adhesives have been developed in research laboratories for more than a decade. To mimic the biological fibrillar adhesives, fibrillar structures have been prepared using a variety of materials and geometrical arrangements. In this review article, the mechanism and selected fabrication methods of fibrillar adhesives are summarized for future reference in adhesive development. Robotic applications of these bioinspired adhesives are also introduced in this article. Various successful appli- cations of bioinspired fibrillar adhesives can shed light on developing smart adhesives for use in automation.展开更多
Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments...Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments too challenging for traditional wheeled designs. To adhere to surfaces, biomimetic dry adhesives based on gecko feet have been proposed. These biomimetic dry adhesives work by using multi-scale compliant mechanisms to make intimate contact with different surfaces and adhere by using Van der Waals forces. Fabrication of these adhesives has frequently been challenging however, due to the difficulty in combining macro, micro and nanoscale compliance. We present an all polymer foot design for use with a hexapod climbing robot and a fabrication method to improve reliability and yield. A high strength, low-modulus silicone, TC-5005, is used to form the foot base and microscale fibres in one piece by using a two part mold. A macroscale foot design is produced using a 3D printer to produce a base mold, while lithographic definition of microscale fibres in a thick photoresist forms the ＇hairs＇ of the polymer foot. The adhesion of the silicone fibres by themselves or attached to the macro foot is examined to determine best strategies for placement and removal of feet to maximize adhesion. Results demonstrate the successful integration of micro and macro compliant feet for use in climbing on a variety of surfaces.展开更多
文摘Dry adhesives inspired from climbing animals, such as geckos and spiders, rely on van der Waals forces to attach to the opposing surface. Biological fibrillar dry adhesives have a hierarchical structure closely resembling a tree： the surface of the skin on the animal＇s feet is covered in arrays of slender micro-fibrils, each of which supports arrays of fibrils in submicron dimensions. These nano-meter size fibrils can conform closely to the opposing surfaces to induce van der Waals interaction. Bioinspired dry adhesives have been developed in research laboratories for more than a decade. To mimic the biological fibrillar adhesives, fibrillar structures have been prepared using a variety of materials and geometrical arrangements. In this review article, the mechanism and selected fabrication methods of fibrillar adhesives are summarized for future reference in adhesive development. Robotic applications of these bioinspired adhesives are also introduced in this article. Various successful appli- cations of bioinspired fibrillar adhesives can shed light on developing smart adhesives for use in automation.
文摘Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments too challenging for traditional wheeled designs. To adhere to surfaces, biomimetic dry adhesives based on gecko feet have been proposed. These biomimetic dry adhesives work by using multi-scale compliant mechanisms to make intimate contact with different surfaces and adhere by using Van der Waals forces. Fabrication of these adhesives has frequently been challenging however, due to the difficulty in combining macro, micro and nanoscale compliance. We present an all polymer foot design for use with a hexapod climbing robot and a fabrication method to improve reliability and yield. A high strength, low-modulus silicone, TC-5005, is used to form the foot base and microscale fibres in one piece by using a two part mold. A macroscale foot design is produced using a 3D printer to produce a base mold, while lithographic definition of microscale fibres in a thick photoresist forms the ＇hairs＇ of the polymer foot. The adhesion of the silicone fibres by themselves or attached to the macro foot is examined to determine best strategies for placement and removal of feet to maximize adhesion. Results demonstrate the successful integration of micro and macro compliant feet for use in climbing on a variety of surfaces.
