Tagged: gecko

The Development of Gecko Tape

Geckos, known for their uncanny ability to adhere onto any surface have long been scrutinized for that reason. What makes geckos so interesting is that unlike conventional adhesives, geckos do not use liquid or temperature based adhesives and do not leave any residue on the surfaces they stick to. Because of these unique characteristics, scientists […]

Stanford’s Perching Drones Land Vertically

Who would think that an airplane could land on the side of your house? The guys at Stanford would. Stanford University’s Biomimetics Laboratory has been working on a small scale fixed wing aircraft that can perch on the side of a building, or just about any vertical surface. The plane’s “landing gear” consists of flexible […]

Falling: “The tale of the gecko”

When falling, geckos are able to right themselves turning their body in mid-air, and always land safely on their feet. It is fascinating to watch the slow-motion videos of the lizard dropping from a belly-up position, then using a swing of the tail to turn around into a skydiving posture. Even more fascinating is to […]

Welcome to “Bio-aerial Locomotion”

This is the blog of the engineering freshman seminar course titled “Bio-Aerial Locomotion”, taught by Prof. Lorena Barba at Boston University. This course is one of several options of the Introduction to Engineering series (EK 131/132) at the College of Engineering. The course aims to motivate the subject of bio-inspired engineering, characterized by seeking examples […]