KEEP your eye on the shelves of your local hardware store, where in the next few years you may be able to find new tape from an unlikely source: the gecko.

“Geckos have millions of microscopic hairs on their toes, each with hundreds of tips that adhere to surfaces, with no residue left behind,” said Kellar Autumn, a biology professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. “Their hairs can stay attached indefinitely.”
Mr. Autumn and scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, were responsible for the research that enabled Mark Cutkosky, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford, to develop a prototype for a tape based on gecko adhesion. The tape, which is reusable, was so strong, Mr. Autumn said, that when they tested it, he was able to stick his 50-pound, 8-year-old daughter to a window with it.
That was a little more than two years ago; there are now at least 50 patent applications pending in gecko-adhesion technology, Mr. Autumn said, and he holds several patents himself.
“Imagine hanging a picture on the wall with reusable gecko tape that doesn’t leave a residue or damage the wall — it’s like a thumbtack, but doesn’t leave a hole,” he said. “The technology is ready to move from research to development. I think we are no more than three to five years from the first commercial products.”
There are plenty of conventional adhesives readily available right now in hardware stores — many of which have been reformulated and improved in recent years — that are designed for use on almost every conceivable surface.
One of the most common is blue painter’s tape. This offspring of masking tape is stickier but leaves less residue, making it ideal for interior paint jobs.
The best-known brand is made by 3M and sells for about $5 a roll at most home-supply stores. “It doesn’t leave any residue behind and doesn’t damage the wall,” said Ronald Fearing, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, who developed the first prototype and contributed to the research on gecko adhesion. There is also red painter’s tape for use on exterior walls, and purple tape for use on delicate fabric wallcoverings (each about $8 a roll).
Of course, one of the most popular tapes is duct tape. Tim Nyberg, who has co-written seven books on the subject, including the “Jumbo Duct Tape Book” and “Duct Shui,” calls it a panacea.
“It’s easy to use, you can rip it with your bare hands, and it doesn’t come with any instructions, so it doesn’t limit creativity,” he said.
Though a best seller, duct tape is generally not recommended by adhesive experts because it is difficult to remove and leaves a sticky residue.
Dick Orloff, who has worked as a tape chemist at National Adhesives (now a unit of the National Starch and Chemical Company) for 40 years, recommends using foil tape instead. Also called flue tape, it leaves less residue and is heat resistant and “good for repairing holes around heating ducts,” he said.
(Source: The NYT)