Bio-inspired suction cups withstand more than splashes
Monday, January 9, 2017 - 07:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Suction cups are getting a facelift. A shower caddy full of shampoo plopping into the bathtub may be an inconvenience in most cases, but failures like this limit the application of suction cups for more exacting purposes. Petra Ditsche, currently at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and her colleagues are changing that. To create prototype suction cups that are capable of glomming onto rough, wet surfaces and staying there, Ditsche has found inspiration in an aptly-named marine creature: the clingfish.