Wow in the World cover image

Astronauts, Clean Up Your Outer Space!

Wow in the World

00:00

Harry Gecko Toes Clean Up Space Junk in Low-Earth Orbit

Gecko's toes are covered in tiny microscopic hairs called setting. Stanford University professor Mark Kukowski and his team designed a robot that is actually a giant gripper. The bottom of it is covered in thousands of tiny bristles to mimic or copy the seta hairs on the gecko's feet. Each tiny bristle is 10 times thinner than a human hair. On both the gecko and the robot, the hairs or bristles work together to create a special kind of sticky electric force.

Transcript
Play full episode

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app