Physicists Discover How to Weave a Real Spiderman Suit

Yet again, sci-fi becomes reality. We may be used to seeing characters like Spiderman scale skyscrapers in the movies, but soon we may be able to experience it ourselves.

Physicists have found the formula for a Spiderman suit. Scientists have unlocked the secret of how spiders and geckos effortlessly scale walls and hang upside down from ceilings. It’s an incredible trait among nature’s many gifts to the animal kingdom, but it was doubted that this natural form of adhesion could be adapted to hold the weight of real life Peter Parkers.

Previous research concluded that van der Waals forces – the weak attraction that molecules have for each other when they are brought very close together - are responsible for spiders amazing sticking power. It is the tiny hairs on spiders’ feet that attract to the molecules of surfaces, even smooth glass, and keep them steady.

This discovery however has now been taken a step further by research published recently in the Institute of Physics’ Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter to make sticky human suits.

Professor Nicola Pugno, engineer and physicist at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, has formulated how adhesive forces can be strong enough to suspend a person’s full body weight against a wall or on a ceiling, while also being easy to detach!

The Daily Galaxy (half jokingly) asked Pugno if once the "spiderman" suit is fully developed using his formula, would he be willing to scale a skyscraper, (or would he wait and see if the first guy fell off). He responded confidently that he would have no problem being the first to test out the method.

“Obviously, yes!”

But although he has no doubt the physics behind the suit will be sound, he says before anyone starts climbing up walls there’s a few important details that need to be worked through.

“With the idea for the adhesion now in place, there are a number of other mechanics that need addressing before the Spiderman suit can become a reality. Size-effects on the adhesion strength require further research. Moreover, man’s muscles, for example, are different to those of a gecko. We would suffer great muscle fatigue if we tried to stick to a wall for many hours.”

Carbon nanotube-based technology will likely be used to develop nano-molecular hooks and loops that would function like microscopic Velcro. This detachable, adhesive force could be used in conjunction with van der Waals forces and capillary adhesion to allow a human to safely traverse almost any surface.

“There are many interesting applications for our theory, from space exploration and defense, to designing gloves and shoes for window cleaners of big skyscrapers,” Pugno said.

As with spiders’ and geckos’ feet, the “hooks and hairs” of the suit will be self-cleaning and water-resistant, which means that they will not wear or get clogged by bad weather or dirty surfaces. Such features would be crucial for explorers attempting to navigate some of the harshest environments on earth, including the deep sea.

“Now that we are this step closer, it may not be long before we are seeing people climbing up the Empire State Building with nothing but sticky shoes and gloves to support them.”

Posted by Rebecca Sato

Links:

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=24699

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6967474.stm?whataboutspiderpig

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/scientist-develops-real-life-spiderman-suit-material-14050.html