Mushroom-Inspired Fastener is Kinder and Gentler Than Velcro
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Fastener with microscopic mushroom design holds promise:
A Velcro-like fastener with a microscopic design that looks like tiny mushrooms could mean advances for everyday consumers and scientific fields like robotics.
In Biointerphases, published by AIP Publishing, researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands show how the design can use softer materials and still be strong enough to work.
Probabilistic fasteners work, because they are designed with a tiny pattern on one surface that interlocks with features on the other surface. Currently available fasteners, like Velcro and 3M, are called hook and loop fasteners. That design requires harder, stiff material, which is what causes the loud ripping sound when they are peeled off and why they can damage delicate surfaces, such as fabrics, when attached to them.
"We wanted to prove that, if you go toward these less stiff features, they can be used to attach and detach to soft and delicate surfaces, like fabrics, without damage," says researcher Preeti Sharma, PhD. "It can be used in many applications such as for diapers or silent fasteners for military use. There is still a lot of research to be done, but the mushroom-shaped design worked quite well for soft mechanical fasteners."
The technology may even find use in foot pads for legged robots, which would allow them to walk up walls or across ceilings like geckos. In fact, the lizards actually already utilize a fairly similar mechanism for clinging to flat surfaces.
Journal Reference:
Preeti Sharma, Vittorio Saggiomo, Vincent van der Doef, et al. Hooked on mushrooms: Preparation and mechanics of a bioinspired soft probabilistic fastener, Biointerphases (DOI: 10.1116/6.0000634)
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