• Question: Could it be possible to mimic the small hairs on the toes of a tree frog on a piece of cloth so as to make a material to allow humans to climb up walls?

    Asked by 0ligray28 to Diana on 13 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Diana Samuel

      Diana Samuel answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Actually, frog toe pads don’t have hairs. Adhesive pads can (generally) be divided into 2 categories: hairy pads and smooth pads. Tree frogs have smooth pads. The cells on the surface of their pads are hexagonal in shape, so look a bit like a honeycomb. An example of an animal that has hairy pads would be geckos (those super-cool lizards that can run across ceilings), and several people have mimicked their pads. One of the biggest problems we face in this field is developing mimics that can perform as well as the real thing; so far, nature’s still number one, but we’re getting there 🙂

Comments

  • Photo: Judith

    Judith commented on :

    I didnt know that about frogs, how do they get friction if their pads are smooth? (i know i’m a scientist but still interested)

    the gecko tape is something I studied and its interesting because no matter how hard people are trying they cant make as many hairs needed on the tape for the interactions-so you’d have to cover yourself in tape to stick to anything!

    • Photo: Diana

      Diana commented on :

      Fair question! They secrete a thin layer of mucus, between the toe pads and the surface they’re trying to stick to. The properties of the mucus allows them to generate static friction, but also – because the layer is so thin – some portions of the pad can make direct contact with the surface, and so will rub against it if the pads are dragged.