IWETHEY v. 0.3.0 | TODO
1,095 registered users | 0 active users | 0 LpH | Statistics
Login | Create New User
IWETHEY Banner

Welcome to IWETHEY!

IWETHEY Home / IWETHEY Board / News Picks Forum / Thought that was electrostatic charge?
Post #82,642
by inthane-chan
Picture of inthane-chan
2/19/03 11:46:14 AM
Reply
New Thought that was electrostatic charge?
Seem to remember, though I can't find any, a few studies that showed smaller animals+insects are using the strong electromagnetic force to "bind" themselves to the surfaces they climb...
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989
Post #82,776
by ben_tilly
2/19/03 8:10:32 PM
Reply
New Not quite, not for geckos
They use the Van Der Waals forces.

Which are electromatic in nature, but aren't due to an excess of charge. They are due to the tendancy for nearby molecules with charged regions to spend longer with the charges lined up for attraction than they do with it lined up for repulsion.

And geckos do it strongly enough that one theoretically could hold up to 280 pounds. A patch of their feet about the size of a dime can hold 80.

Search for "van der waals" and "gecko" for more information. The first link is [link|http://polypedal.berkeley.edu/Profs_office/Full/Publications/publication_reprint_PDFs/63_evidofvanderwaals2.pdf|http://polypedal.ber...fvanderwaals2.pdf] which points out that similar abilities in other species are due to capillary effects.

Cheers,
Ben
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
     Robot grunts in the US Army - (admin) - (12) - Feb. 18, 2003, 11:30:29 AM EST
         looks like the 3 laws of robotics are being broken - (boxley) - (1) - Feb. 18, 2003, 11:32:42 AM EST
             Not at all - (drewk) - Feb. 18, 2003, 12:19:32 PM EST
         Just emailed John L about it - (tseliot) - Feb. 18, 2003, 12:55:10 PM EST
         One thing is promising - (ben_tilly) - (8) - Feb. 19, 2003, 07:28:59 AM EST
             That gear IS available, like strap on floor tile removers -NT - (boxley) - (4) - Feb. 19, 2003, 08:55:01 AM EST
                 Aren't those the ones Wile E. Coyote uses? -NT - (tjsinclair) - Feb. 19, 2003, 09:10:08 AM EST
                 Where? - (ben_tilly) - (2) - Feb. 19, 2003, 07:56:46 PM EST
                     Seen window folks on highrises use them - (boxley) - (1) - Feb. 19, 2003, 08:49:41 PM EST
                         We are talking of different principles - (ben_tilly) - Feb. 19, 2003, 10:14:44 PM EST
             Saw a recent articlet in Science News about that: - (tseliot) - Feb. 19, 2003, 11:45:00 AM EST
             Thought that was electrostatic charge? - (inthane-chan) - (1) - Feb. 19, 2003, 11:46:14 AM EST
                 Not quite, not for geckos - (ben_tilly) - Feb. 19, 2003, 08:10:32 PM EST

They're a cornered rat, and quite frankly, I think they have rabies to boot. I'd rather not get too close to them.
38 ms