Could Humans Can Crawling Walls Like Spiderman?

Ever imagine yourself blessed with advantages such as Spiderman, which can creep in tall buildings? Of course it does not seem to make sense, right? Anything could have happened especially after scientists at Cornell introduces us to the tools that can make us crawl on the walls like Spiderman. Hm, how could you?!

The small size tool using the theory of surface tension of water to perform absorption (adhesion) and the ability to crawl like a super hero. This application will be installed on shoes or gloves, so that later people use it to attach to and crawl on the wall.

The device consists of a base plate patterned with microscopic holes. The bottom is a water storage container and its center is a porous layer. The electric field is applied using a 9 volt battery that pumps water through the device and cause the droplets of water through the top layer. The voltage drops on the surface of the open to make this tool more gripping surface.

To disable this adhesion power, electric field just behind, and water withdrawn through the pores, the pores through the wall created between devices and other surfaces with water droplets.

"In our everyday experience, these forces are relatively weak," said Paul Steen, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. "But if you make it in large volumes so you can control it ... you can get a stronger adhesion power."

So far, the device was only useful on objects or creatures that are small. For example, one prototype was made with about 1,000 holes measuring 300 microns, and able to withstand the load of about 30 grams.

But the researchers found that when they reduce the size of the hole and pack in a larger volume, the power will get stronger adhesion. They estimate that a single device with millions of holes measuring 1 micron to withstand loads greater than 6.8 kg.

Steen imagine the future of this prototype on a larger scale, after the pump mechanism is perfected, and adhesive bonding can be made even more powerful. He also imagined the water droplets will close with a thin membrane that quite a lot to control the pump but thick enough to eliminate the former wet.

Steen apparently seemed more interested in imagining a tool that can be used as supporting a criminal act than to use it to protect the world.

"Imagine you can make credit card-sized tool, then put it in an instant the door and that door will open itself," said Steen. "It's interesting to imagine.