Gecko Feet
Geckos are known for their remarkably adhesive feet. In a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Applied Physics, researchers describe just how remarkable those feet are.
It turns out that gecko feet are able to stick and unstick themselves instantly -- so when a geck0 goes from hanging off of a ceiling to scurrying down a wall, it does so without losing speed or energy. This mechanism makes gecko feet, which were already being used as inspiration for wall-climbing robots and space-age adhesive materials, even more interesting to engineers.